Making her mark in the glamorous world of international fashion photography is DUT’s very own Nirma Madhoo-Chipps; DUT Fashion and Textiles Lecturer, who is currently studying towards her Master’s degree in Fashion Photography at the London College of Fashion, UK.

The petite and vivacious Madhoo-Chipps, whose website also features photographs of garments designed by DUT Fashion and Textiles students, was fortunate enough to receive an offer to feature her work (photographs) in the prestigious UK Stylenoir magazine, the world’s largest magazine dedicated to dark fashion and culture. “I was lucky that my first shoot published on my website was spotted by a US magazine editor who contacted me to publish it (the shoot). This gave me confidence to approach other magazines with my work. I always said to my students (at DUT) that the internet has democratised access to the world. Social media has enhanced that even further,” she said.

Although Madhoo-Chipps’ field of expertise is theory of fashion or the contextual and historical study of fashion, she opted to study overseas towards a Master’s degree in Fashion Photography to add to her skills of being an innovative design thinker. “I am interested in fashion from an interdisciplinary angle and I like to operate from an art or creative direction level. Diversifying my skills within the field therefore makes sense. My current work has improved vastly. My image making skills were basic in South Africa but I always had a very specific vision of what I wanted to produce. I am able to do that now,” she added.

When asked about her collaboration with the DUT Fashion students, Madhoo-Chipps said they produced some very interesting work, some of the best in the country. She said the DUT students’ garments featured in her shoot (for UK Stylenoir magazine) were from students she lectured from first to third-year. “Those ranges were developed in part in my theory classes and I was familiar with the depth of the research and development. When I was in Durban last March (2013), I really wanted to shoot some of that work so I contacted them. There are many more excellent ranges that I could not feature, but I hope to collaborate with the talent from DUT on a more regular basis in future,” said Nirma excitedly.

Her work can be best described as a bit conceptual with a graphic aesthetic edge. Madhoo-Chipps researches extensively before choosing and taking photographs of her subjects. Her work also entails lots of pre-production and lots of post-production for shoots. She works with both still and moving images and says taking photographs takes the least amount of time.

Madhoo-Chipps, who returns to South Africa in November (2014) is currently enjoying her study and work experience in London, adding that her college promotes collaborative practice from day one. “There are regular and consistent quality events such as talks with industry insiders and workshops and conferences organised by the different colleges and open to everyone in the institution. This is a great horizon opener, promoting innovative thinking. Also, good time management is so essential especially when producing extra work like I have been doing in my time here so far,” she said.

Madhoo-Chipps hopes to continue creating “out of the norm” photo shoots and her work being featured internationally. To date, the brand of fashion magazines she has featured in are; Stylenoir Magazine (UK); Svelto Magazine (US) and a soon to be released shoot for HUF Magazine (UK). Her work has also been featured on the digital platform of I.D magazine. “I want to continue being fashion relevant while not sitting comfortably in the normative world of glamorous fashion photography,” she said.

To see more of Madhoo-Chipps’ dynamic work, go to www.anatomythestudio.com.

-Waheeda Peters

Pictured: DUT’s Nirma Madhoo-Chipps who is making a name for herself in international fashion photography.

Pictured below is one of Nirma Madhoo-Chipps’ photographs. She was also the creative director at the shoot.
Metallic lined cape and sheath dress: Ayanda Mthembu
Cat skull: Andrew Sutherland
Styling: Ndu Sibiya
Make-up and Hair: Candice Mac Nicol
Model: Brittany Mooney @ Ice Model Management