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Nancy Tyagi's DIY couture is back on the Cannes red carpet. This time, the Delhi-based content creator chose a beige mini dress with a floor-length cape—again stitched by hand. “Ye colour meri mummy ka favourite hai, isliye iss baar decide kiya ki isi colour mein dress design karun, (This colour is my mother's favourite, so this time I decided to design the dress in this colour)” she wrote on Instagram. Her caption remained consistent with her tone—simple, direct, and personal.
This is Nancy’s second Cannes appearance. Her debut on May 23, 2024, with a 20 kg self-stitched pink gown went viral and led to partnerships with brands like Mars and CaratLane.
Global campaigns missing despite growing exposure
Despite the recognition and being featured in Elle magazine’s April 2025 issue, Nancy is yet to be seen in any major international fashion campaign. She was recently spotted wearing Vivienne Westwood for an event, but no long-term association has been announced.
Industry voices say this is not unusual.
Aditya Gurwara, Co-Founder and Head of Brand Alliances at Qoruz, shared that influencer appearances at Cannes often spark short-term attention but don’t always convert to lasting brand relationships. “How many of them converted? That purely depends on the cost that she was charging, the agency that was representing her, and whether brands were willing to spend that much,” he said.
According to Aditya, Nancy’s campaign quotes were upwards of Rs 15 lakh. While the demand was high after her Cannes 2024 appearance, this may have limited actual conversions. “I can tell you I got 1000 briefs saying Nancy Tyagi. So yeah, definitely there was a lot of attention,” he said, adding that it was the story behind the gown that created the impact.
Cannes exposure brings attention but not always long-term deals
Aditya pointed out that influencer appearances at international film festivals often attract scrutiny. “What are you going to Cannes for? What have you done?” he said, reflecting a common sentiment on social media. He added that while negative commentary exists, the fact that people are talking about it is in itself a marker of reach and relevance.
He added that outcomes depend on how things unfold post-event. “When some creators walk and then somebody says the look is copied, it becomes a negative story. There’s a lot of ifs and buts.”
In the end, while influencer presence at events like Cannes draws eyeballs and temporary brand interest, the long-term impact still hinges on authenticity, transparency, and how creators carry the story beyond the red carpet.
New brand interest but still no global fashion house tie-ups
Post-Cannes debut, she locked deals with some of the country’s biggest tech, and automobile brands—including Samsung Galaxy, Maruti Suzuki Viatra, Amazon.in and OnePlus Nord 4. The skincare category saw a deluge of partnerships: Dot & Key, Wow Skin Science, Aqualogica, Pilgrim, Kay Beauty, and Savana.
Her presence now also spans across beauty and fashion brands like L'Oréal Paris, Myntra FWD, Forever52, Sugar, Clinic Plus, Urbanic, Tata Neu, Cstore Clothing, and Meesho—her OG collaborator. Even timepieces joined the party with Sonata. And yes, Mars and CaratLane stayed loyal.
Before her iconic walk, Nancy was already on the radar of brands like Ponds India, Netflix (for the Heeramandi release), Lakmé, YouTube, Meesho, MakeO Skin, Iconic, Mentos India, Pears India, and Nish Hair. These were mostly budget-friendly fashion, skincare, and FMCG names looking to tap into the relatability and authenticity that Nancy exudes.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_p8lVtp6J3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
In fact, during the promotions of Call Me Bae, she designed an outfit for Ananya Panday, and for Netflix’s Heeramandi, she made a custom look for Sakshi Tanwar Her designs started getting compared to fashion veterans like Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi.
But what drove this brand craze?
Nancy currently commands an impressive 3.1 million followers on Instagram, her audience is almost evenly split between men and women—something that remains rare for a female influencer.
A significant chunk of her following (58.74%) falls in the 18–24 age bracket. With an audience credibility score of 76.24%,
With her posts averaging 389.4K likes and nearly 1.5K comments each. Her reels perform even better, with an estimated average reach of 2 million and an engagement rate of 12.80%.
While fashion collaborations dominate her brand deals at 54%, she also attracts a significant share from the beauty segment (37.84%), followed by tech and gadgets (2.7%) and art and entertainment (5.41%).
Though her posting frequency is relatively low, industry experts believe this reflects a growing trend where influencers are focusing on quality over quantity. The idea is to curate meaningful, high-impact content rather than constantly dumping posts with little context or strategy.
In terms of content breakdown. Her reels average a remarkable 6.8 million views with around 583K comments, delivering a strong engagement rate of 5.89% and a virality rate of 222.21%.
Interestingly, while her organic posts already perform well, her paid posts exceed expectations, with an average of 693K likes, 1.1K comments, and a staggering engagement rate of 22.76%.
Geographically, her content sees the most traction from Delhi and Maharashtra.
The real struggle
During her appearance on The Ranveer Show, Nancy Tyagi opened up about the emotional and financial challenges she faced in her early days.
“Bohot zyada sangharsh tha, marne ka bhi aaya vichar. Bhai school jaa raha hai, uski fees bhi bharni hai. 6-7 hazar me kya ho raha hai mahine me? Kuch nahi hota, zeher aa jaata hai (There was a lot of struggle; I even thought of dying. My brother is going to school; we had to pay his fees too. In a month, what could we afford in Rs 6-7 thousand? Nothing, just poison.), she said, recalling the pressure of sustaining her family on limited income.
She further shared how content creation was her last resort: “Ye last option tha ki video bana ke dekhte hain, kuch hota hai sahi. Fir chodte hain sab (This was the last option to make a video and see if something happens. Then I could just leave it).”
link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7Zc3yyyztB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Back in March 2022, during the pandemic, Nancy began posting short DIY videos on Instagram. Using her mother’s old sewing machine, she recreated celebrity outfits from scratch. From Alia Bhatt’s black saree look to red carpet diva dresses, her stitching, paired with on-point music and GRWM-style storytelling, made her content instantly relatable.
Her first-ever brand deal came from Meesho, where she created haul videos featuring clothes under Rs 300. She also styled outfits sourced from Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar market, showcasing her knack for creativity on a budget.
Nancy (23) studied in a Hindi-medium school in a village in Uttar Pradesh and later moved to Delhi with the goal of preparing for the UPSC exam. With no formal education in fashion and no connections in the industry, she relied solely on her content to make her mark.
At the festival, she had someone translating reporters’ questions to her, helping her navigate conversations.
Experts say what works for Nancy is her storytelling—whether it's through her captions, song choices, or the way she makes her audience feel part of her journey. She often involves her followers in the process of making the dress, asking for suggestions and feedback, which makes every win feel like a shared one. As she wrote in her recent post, “Without you all, this moment would not be so special.”
Controversies around originality Her latest Cannes Beige mini dress look came under scrutiny after singer Neha Bhasin pointed out that the outfit was sourced from fashion label Source Bombay. Nancy had shared a post that the outfit took 30 days to create but did not clarify that the base piece wasn’t hers. This raised criticism around misrepresentation.
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According to a report by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), 69% of India's top 100 digital influencers failed to adhere to guidelines for influencer advertising on social media, failing to adequately disclose when they were promoting a brand. This means over 110 million followers were potentially exposed to undisclosed brand promotions.
Her 2024 pink gown had also faced similar backlash for its close resemblance to a Giambattista Valli design worn by Ariana Grande. Fashion experts have noted that while Nancy’s stitching is skilled, the title of designer may be premature. Also said, one of the key reasons major fashion brands hesitated to collaborate was the serious concern around plagiarism, which remains a major red flag in the industry.
Viraj Sheth, Co-Founder & CEO at Monk Entertainment (Monk-E), the company that manages Nancy Tyagi, wrote on his LinkedIn post, “She’s back at it again. Nancy Tyagi at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 in her own designs. Absolute powerhouse of talent. Being able to enable the right platforms for the right kind of talent will always be a privilege we will never take for granted. So proud of this girl.”
The question that remains: While the audience clearly adores her, and her talent has been validated on global stages, will luxury fashion or legacy global brands finally take notice? Or will Nancy continue to build her empire, one DIY stitch at a time?
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