Clocking On with Nikita Raman
Nikita Raman’s experience across categories, segments and countries helps shape her approach, with Hugo Boss’ suiting strength an inspiration for fresh designs.
6.00am
Let’s be honest: my day does not start with a sunrise jog or a green juice. As a professional snoozer, I dedicate a good 30 minutes to rolling around, trying to bargain with the alarm clock, and savouring the silence before the world wakes up. Somewhere between turn number three and four, I decide whether today calls for a full denim-on-denim uniform or a slightly more diplomatic “business casual denim” look. (Yes, there’s a difference.)
7.00am
Once I’m up and dressed, I give myself half an hour to train the brain. Some mornings that means practising origami cranes – my desk is slowly turning into a paper aviary. Other mornings I wrestle with the Korean alphabet, because I have promised my best friend I’d learn the language.
9.00am
With a cup of tea in hand, I dive into the day. Designing for BOSS Womenswear Black Line means I switch between denim and non-denim categories, often weaving tailoring techniques into jeans. For a denim designer, it’s a bit like cross-training: unexpected, sometimes challenging, but it makes the results stronger and sharper. Plus, working with different teams keeps the ideas fresh – and the mood board lively.
12.00pm
Lunch is my daily ritual. Most days I bring my own food, but the real highlight is eating with colleagues. Sometimes it’s the design team, sometimes I branch out to other departments. Call it networking if you want, but really, it’s just me being curious about how the big machine of Boss works.
1.00pm
Afternoons are for the craft. If I’m not in fittings or meetings, I’m sketching, building tech packs or obsessing over wash comments. Music sets the pace, and when the rhythm is right, I slip into experiments with AI, like another corner of the atelier where ideas can twist and unfold in unexpected ways.
6.00pm
Evenings are project time. I’m hand-sewing a kimono out of denim swatches (pictured). It’s slow work, but there’s something meditative about it – like yoga, but with needles. When I want to balance the sewing with something less… sharp, I switch to jigsaw puzzles. My favourites are art-inspired: Yayoi Kusama dots, Leandro Erlich’s installations or Alma Haser’s surreal photography. It keeps the brain busy, with a TV show in the background as company.
10.00pm
Before the day officially ends, I like to read. Right now, it’s Haruki Murakami’s The City and Its Uncertain Walls. The title alone sounds like denim: layered, mysterious and a little poetic. By the time I close the book, the snooze cycle is ready to start all over again.
Nikita Raman has had a lengthy career in fashion, specialising in denim, moving around the world to take up roles at Lee Jeans, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Only and S.Oliver. For the past three years, she has been a senior designer at Hugo Boss. She is known for a strategic mindset, strong trend forecasting and a hands-on approach to the full creative and technical process.
Photo: Nikita Raman
