Fashion with a conscience: Ala Mairi, fashion brand and social enterprise, launches second collection

[Fatima Mahmood]

Ala Mairi launches its second collection of luxury ethical garments.

The collection is inspired by ‘Fair Isle’ and ‘Shetland lace’. In 2011, founder and designer, Fatima Mahmood travelled to the Scottish highlands in search of independent handloom weavers and lace makers. It was there where she witnessed the intricacy and detail of the artisans work, and, indeed it was this research that helped instigate the creation of the Ala Mairi brand. The memory has resulted in the dream-like colour palette of the collection that reflects more than a nod to Shetland’s St Ninian’s Isle beach where the sunsets are a breathtaking array of blues, oranges and pinks.

Ala Mairi fuses cultures and skills. Each Ala Mairi garment is hand woven from silk, cotton and linen yarns by artisans in Scotland and hand embroidered by skilled women embroiders in Pakistan. The cultural mix of the finest craftsmanship from both continents is what makes Ala Mairi’s products so unique and exclusive.

Founder, Fatima Mahmood said, “This second collection sees the unusual trademark Ala Mairi fusion between Pakistan and Scotland become further entwined, resulting in a stronger look. We have worked hard on pushing the designs, the collaboration with artisans and the colour palette which makes this collection is not only striking but incredibly distinctive.”

Each Ala Mairi piece is limited edition and is sold via the Ala Mairi online shop www.alamairi.com.