We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Leila Antakly a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Leila, appreciate you joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I started developing the concept of Ninu Nina back in 2000 before social media had taken off. The idea was, that while I had been working as an Editorial Assistant at Italian Vogue in the NYC office, I met many incredible creatives who worked behind the scenes and I felt they should be given a platform to discuss their work. Stylists, make -up artists, set designers, photography assistants, chefs, musicians, curators, artists etc.

Since the 90’s I have been obsessed with photography and while I dabbled in production, I decided I would be better as an enthusiast/collector. I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity of working beside and with some of the best photographers in the world while at Vogue; Lindbergh, Roversi, Mario Testino, Weber and Michel Comte to name a few. I later interviewed other favourite artists, Floria Sigismondi and Pierre et Gilles for a magazine Patricia Field launched. I wanted to understand their craft from a more personal perspective and began having those conversations whenever I could. I wanted to absorb and document those conversations and be able to share them with other like minded people interested in art and culture. Photography is an interesting medium because it is an agent for cultural change and a generator of critical thinking. Through my conversations I wanted to build a vision not only about the artist themselves, but the times in which we are living.

That was the starting point, and from there it became a passion to curate the content, find the artists and conduct the interviews. I never wanted to turn the platform into a commercial entity as it would jeopardize the quality of the content, but what it did was open the doors to amazing business opportunities in the creative world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been working in fashion, luxury, film production, strategic communications, marketing, digital marketing, social media strategy, and events professionally since 1999. I spent five years in Dubai as Director of Wilhelmina, the first international model agency in the region where my team and I fought really hard to improve the standards of the industry and created a department dedicated fully to representing photographers and creatives. Now I work mostly on marketing, writing and editing for clients in a variety of fields, including aesthetics and wellbeing. I also consult for some clients on photography and art consultancy, which I love doing.

I have a B.A. in Communications from American University, Italian Studies from Georgetown and a M.A. in Fashion Management from SDA Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. I’ve always loved film and attended the historic film school FAMU in Prague for my semester abroad and have since produced several films and documentaries.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I am still trying to get my head around them- but I definitely want to learn and be in the know so am always doing my research. Whether you like them or not, they are here to stay. Originally I was skeptical because I thought it was one more “art fad” and was concerned about how its a highly unregulated market- and just like any unregulated market, it’s a prime space for fraudulent actors.

What I do appreciate is that it allows the artists to be sovereign, and they cater to a younger generation of collectors. As in everything in life, a little bit of the old with a bit of the new, we have to learn to co-exist!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goals are two fold: In one aspect I aim to provide first time collectors get all the tools in one place so that they can feel prepared and inspired to begin their journey. I want to provide them with the criteria and questions they should be asking when it comes to collecting art. The other angle is to learn more about our favorite artists whether they are established or emerging, I want to understand who they are, their inspirations, creative process, their challenges, perspectives on the art world and even how they prioritize their personal wellbeing, ( and finally share that with you).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ninunina.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninuninaofficial/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ninunina
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFKeHZLYhtKNGbdHv1FdOGw

Image Credits
Ziga Mihelcic