The man, the myth, the on-campus legend! Perhaps you know him from his reels “Hi, I’m Eshan Sterling”, or maybe you’ve seen him boots and blazered to the nines around George square. However he’s crossed your path, this fresher has certainly made his mark on the university scene. This week I sat down to talk to him about his experience as a fresher so far.
Whilst I wait at a table in Teviot his arrival is announced by a gaggle of fans who scream at his arrival, “are you real,” “I’m obsessed,” “can I get a photo?”, Sterling handles the situation with ease, his classic aviators remaining intact all the while.
This style statement is also practical, he tells me his acute astigmatism changes the way he sees the world, morphing light and changing the appearance of things and people around him. “I see the world like it’s a movie. So I live my life and I don’t have to have a screen playing a movie all the time because life is one.” On our first meeting he describes how the two lights behind me are refracting off my face and changing the appearance of my jacket. His inspiration however does partly come from the screen “nowadays, I just wake up in the morning and get dressed, but in my formative years I watched a lot of The A-Team, the TV show”. This, Sterling tells me, he believes is the primary source for his style: “a must watch” in his books.
“How has it been balancing your degree in law and politics with your new status?” I ask him “I’ve gotten caught up in the fun side of life and I’m trying to find a balance now between the law and politics and the fabulous and fun”, how’s that going I ask “I am making improvements.” I reassure him that even if you are not the Stylish Sterling balancing fun and your degree can be difficult, but Sterling’s exposure and how that has changed his social interactions is something I am keen to ask about.
He emphasises the positive aspects of his recognition. “I would say my experience overall has been fabulous,” “if someone is friendly and fabulous towards me, I have no problem stopping for a photograph or an autograph with them. They’re happy, I’m happy and we’re all fabulous”.
The wonderful style of students at the uni is something Sterling tells me he hopes to highlight more in his videos: “as we know, I’m fabulous” he tells me “but at the same time… There are so many other fabulous people I have seen walking through the streets of Edinburgh… I want to help and showcase all the other fabulous people who aren’t me.”
I cheekily ask if he will tell me what he looks for in his fashion showcases; “I would rather not divulge that information because then my fabulous fans may try dressing just to impress me and I don’t want that.” Authenticity and originality is clearly important to Sterling, something that comes hand in hand with his confidence and spark, however I will divulge he told me a good pair of boots gives one some points in his book.
Photo by Eshan Sterling @thestylishsterling for The Student
