Alkebulan Collection by NILARA

Hello Everyone and welcome once again to my BLOG! Today I’m pleased to share this look with you; A colourful and vibrant one, holding on to summer and its warm sunshine before we welcome fall and winter and we start looking for more dark colours in the wardrobe. I love colours and wearing colours as you know. All year round, they make me smile and joyful, so wearing designs like these at any given opportunity – is so much fun.

If you are a follower of fashion designers on the Maltese scene, I’m almost certain that you have come across the name Nilay Camilleri in some fashion magazine or event such as the Malta Fashion Week, the creator and founder of the brand NILARA. Nilay is an artist, a dreamer, an unconventional talent. Ever since the first time, she burst onto the Maltese fashion scene with her Nilara label, her unrestrained, daring genius with bold, proud and whimsical designs have rocked the MFWA catwalk for four years if I’m not mistaken. She has presented opulent designs with an innovative twist coupled with fine, elaborate fabrics is the ever recognizable signature of Nilay Camilleri, you can never be over-educated or overdressed, thus dare to be fabulous and unique.

Her latest designs in the collection “Alkebulan – Garden of Eden” represents an extravagant mix of styles fused with African prints. Bright, vibrant colours, bold patterns combined with western fabrics is the new statement collection of Nilara with a twist. ‘Alkebulan – Garden of Eden’ bolder than its’ predecessors, take the conventional and demolish it, forever challenging our perception of fashion.

This collection transported me to a feeling of being connected to the energy of ancient African tribes and nature combined, almost like a reminder for us to never forget that as a planet we are all connected and we must appreciate the beautiful colours and all the different cultures – we are all connected. All across the globe, we find humans of different nationalities, skin colours, religions – some are wealthier than ever and others are so poor, they can barely survive. Some are happy and some are sad. We are all sharing this planet though. Have you ever thought to yourself , How is it possible in this day and age that some of us still don’t care about others and are only aware of what is in their own little world? Just a feeling I wished to share when wearing these clothes and enjoying them in these beautiful surroundings with trees and nature.

I ‘ve shown you a green dress last week from this collection in m PREVIOUS BLOG “Dance to the Beat of Your Own Drum”

Today I share this two-piece which I fell in love with. These pieces are certainly statement pieces and when worn to any event or party, you will surely stand out from the crowd. The crowd has no option but to observe the vibrant prints walk past. With a sun-kissed tan or a naturally dark complexion, these clothes really kick up a great vibe!

For purposes of this fashion blog post, I styled this outfit it in a fun way and photographed it with a beautiful backdrop of a garden next to my home, one I enjoy visiting for my personal relaxation and meditation a few times a week. In my hands, I m holding some of the organic products I received from the Barbuto Organic farm in Sicily the same day I had planned this shoot so I thought I would take them out for some photos and give a shoutout to this amazing company in Sicily who grows so many products with love and gives an excellent delivery service from Sicily to Malta !

I will be wearing this outfit to an event I have this coming week and I look forward to styling it differently!! Always a challenge. So make sure to have a sneak peek at my Instagram Stories @graziellecamilleri on Friday to see how with the hair and accessory change it will look completely different – and still amazingly fabulous 😉

Thanks to Darren Darmanin the hairstylist, my hair here was pulled back in soft buns. The weather that day was extremely humid so this option was tops! Thanks to MAC Cosmetics in Valletta for my make up look and Beauty Inc @ Niumee for taking care of my nails every month.

My feeling was right! I just Googled the name Alkebulan!

“The ancient name of Africa was Alkebulan. Alkebu-lan “mother of mankind” or “garden of eden”. Alkebulan is the oldest and the only word of indigenous origin. It was used by the Moors, Nubians, Numidians, Khart-Haddans (Carthagenians), and Ethiopians. Perhaps in line with this new found knowledge, we should boldly go forward as ‘Alkebulanites’; true and sincere, moving to the beat of our own ancient drums.