Matriarchal style icon

Having been submerged in a sea of black at Paris Fashion Week, it's refreshing to see Bryan Adams’ stunning photos of a vibrantly colourful Camila Batmanghelidjh in April’s edition of British Vogue. You probably need no excuse to buy a copy, but this fascinating feature makes a very worthwhile reason.

The Iranian born psychotherapist and social entrepreneur is interviewed by Gwyneth Paltrow about her amazing work for inner city children, through her charity, Kids Company. The article also features work from the forthcoming ‘Shoebox Living’ exhibition at Haunch of Venison, W1, for which children were asked to recreate a room from their house in a shoebox.



Camila is an unlikely style icon, whose powerfully positive personality is reflected through her bold, bright and highly individual choice of clothing. She says she finds the fabric for her clothes at Peckham Market and pieces bits together to create her own garments. Her original, handmade outfits give added impact to an already larger than life character, putting shrinking violets to shame. Camila’s voluptuous, matriarchal style also makes her the perfect subject for photographers and artists: her portrait (by Dean Marsh) even hangs in London’s National Gallery. I love the images (see below) in an article by writer and photographer Fran Monks.



If you’re also a fan of Camila’s look, you’ll probably like some of the handcrafted, ethnic inspired clothing at ShopCurious - tribal dresses by Bezemymailan and dramatic printed silk shifts by Lola Faturoti, for instance.

Camila’s much more than a style icon: she's a role model and mother figure to many impoverished children, though I expect they admire her exotic clothing too.

Camila offers kids the chance to use their energy and imagination in constructive ways, through art projects and creative endeavours. Everyone seems to love her - and I bet she receives tons of Mothers’ Day cards. With all her amazing work, I’m curious to know how she still manages to find the time to make her own clothes…

Are you?

Global village

So are we all now part of a global village? At the moment, it’s a bit curious that we’ve got Westernized nations wanting to introduce more regulation and newly emerging economies wanting to exert their newfound freedom of expression in more creative ways - it’s almost like the world’s turned upside down rather than meeting in the middle. However, we’re all part of the human tribe, so hopefully we’ll muddle through these confusing times and agree on how to make the world a better place for all of us.








We’re almost at the end of our month long tour of global tribal style, apart from one very important addition: ShopCurious has just become the exclusive UK and online stockist of clothing from the exotic cosmopolitan design duo, Bezemymailan.








This talented double act, that simply oozes style with brains, consists of Bezem - who’s of Togolese and Russian descent (right) - and French Vietnamese Mai Lan (left). The girls have known each other since childhood and, inspired by their multi-cultural backgrounds, have mastered traditional handicraft skills from Asia and Africa and combined their talents to create unique clothing with a strong ethnic influence.




Whilst studying historical costumes at university, Bezem and Mai Lan started creating unusual outfits for feature films, plays, musicals and carnivals. Their own fashion shows now feature dance, music and song – much like StyleCurious featured designer Mike Sylla of Baifall Dream and the Human Tribe.



Bezemymailan’s stylish handmade garments draw upon their cultural heritage, as well as influences from modern society. They try to use natural materials and authentic techniques as much as possible and are proud of the fact that their designs hark back to an era when clothing was an art form instead of an industrial scale manufacturing-based activity. Ultimately, they think it’s possible for the global fashion industry and local artisan-led tribal crafts to become compatible with each other.



Bezemymailan also believe their approach will enhance the international appreciation of handcrafted textiles, which it seems are underestimated, even in the developing world. They’re trying to stimulate new interest, which won't just be eco-friendly – it will also create a positive social impact.

All very sound and ethical stuff…however, the best bit of all is that Bezemymailan’s dresses and jackets not only look amazing, they’re also incredibly comfortable and easy to wear too. If you like to look different, you’ll absolutely love these beautiful creations – and you’ll appreciate that everyone in the global village is unique and can express their personal style and taste through their individual choice of clothing.

Do you?