REAL TALK with RIKESH CHAUHAN

If you look up Rikesh Chauhan, you'll find oodles of insight on sartorial wisdom. Rikesh is a photographer, a musician, a writer, a social media creator and all round sage of luxury menswear. 

MF: What is your day-to-day?
RC: Good question, it’s always different. Mainly I'm a freelance photographer and up to 60% of my time is spent with brands, doing model shoots or campaign photography, which requires me to change location a lot. I create video content for brands as well as personal stuff on style, coffee, politics et cetera. I have a copywriting background, and I'm currently Editor of The Accessible Magazine — an annual photojournalism publication created by Luke Alland, who is also a menswear photographer. We put this together four years ago (Issue 3 has just launched) and whenever we're on location or on assignment around the world, we'll keep an eye out for content ideas for the magazine. That's my day-to-day in a very big nutshell. 

MF: What would you like to do more of?
RC: I have so much variety in what I do that I don't find myself wanting for much else. I love making music though! ...More on that later. 

The reason I went freelance was to accommodate being at home with my wife, as we were expecting our first child. I work a lot from home, it's where my studio is and 9/10 I am around to do the nursery collection or be with my daughter on Fridays for example, when she's not at nursery. 

MF: How does movement and exercise help you mentally and physically?
RC: Since my daughter arrived, it made me want to be strong and capable for her, to be able to enjoy keeping up with her. I used to play football a lot and that was my outlet, but a few injuries and then Covid, that all came to a halt. I've now built a regular habit of going to the gym, lifting and allowing that to be my outlet instead. It really helps ease any tension, it invigorates me and allows me to be the best version for my daughter. I now just work better and am firmly committed to at least two sessions per week. I can see that working out in the long-term will be the bedrock for my own robust health.



Rikesh wearing The Eminence jacket

MF: How do you cope with hard things?
RC: The last few years have thrown a lot at me. My Dad passed in 2023 for example but day-to-day the world feels very tense and closer to home there are always issues, like getting on the housing ladder… haha!

So to answer the question, I suppose I talk a lot on-camera and that is cathartic. I am actually an ambassador for CALM and have been for over a decade now, where we champion men sharing their thoughts and feelings to help with suicide prevention.
I know from personal experience how effective it is to get things out of your system and to help you understand what you're going through. 

Exercise is a big part of exorcising my frustrations. The other thing that helps regulate me is my daughter—who I have to show up for. I often need to de-escalate my own feelings or emotions, in order to help her. She brings a lot of levity to my life which is immeasurably helpful. She keeps me in the moment.

MF: What one thing can you not live without?
RC: I think music. When making music I am completely immersed in the moment. We are a very musical household, listening to, analysing and making music all the time, so it would be impossible to live without. It really helps regulate my mood and is an integral part of who we are as a species. 

MF: What is your favourite time of the year?
RC: I always love the first two weeks of June. My birthday is on the 5th, then I'm in Florence for a large menswear event the week after, where it's warm and when I return it's Father's Day. It's a two-week period when it's all about me, haha!