Designer Spotlight : Salhalina Hillal

Hello Lovelies
So we have been missing in action for a while. Alas life calls sometimes. Today we bring to you our first Designers spotlight.  As you know one of our aims is to share Africa fashion and bring it your attention. We love versatile pieces that tell a story.

This lovely young lady caught our attention on Facebook , through one of her friend's Facebook pages. We were inspired because of her innovation ,her professionalism and her young age. Salhalina proves that you don't need to be a certain age to pursue your dreams and we salute her for that. We know that this young lady will be going places and we know we will be hearing more from her. Her designs are amazing, very eclectic and her personal style is on point.

We hope you enjoy what Salhalina has to say about her designs, advice on becoming a designer and her personal style.

Name: Salhalina Hillal

About Vintage Nabora:

Vintage Nabora is the infusion of three African generations of style, embodied through the essence of the modern woman. Nabora is actually my mother’s maiden name and the three generations are that of my grandmother, mother and my own. The VN woman is one comfortable in her own flesh and curves. Her beauty knows not of any restrictions.

Vintage Nabora designs are exclusively tailored. They focus on the client and the manifestation of her inner beauty.

What inspired you to start designing?

Design was never a conscious course for me; it just developed automatically. Whenever I see a piece of clothing that I like, all that runs through my mind is how I can better it. As I've grown older, cost and quality have become the motive; I want to be able to look like a Queen without having to spend like one. So I took matters into my own hands and began designing my own clothes. I've never had the time to learn how to sew them myself but I saw a great opportunity for the local tailors in my hometown, Dar es Salaam. I collaborate with them in most of my projects and they've played a major role in my progression. They've learnt from me just as much as I have from them.

Where can we find your designs?

I only began displaying my designs to the public this year. I've been extremely freelance; however I've decided to release a look book for every time making a couple of items. My first official one can be viewed online at http://issuu.com/ossegiovannigrecasinare/docs/vintage_nabora. I prefer to work with customers that I can be in close proximity with (Tanzania) to assure that they can the best out of my services, however in some cases I agree to deliver the items further (e.g. Swaziland and SA).

Advice:

Start yesterday. Everyday a great outfit could be borne from your style, however you need to go one step further and bring it to life. Rarely is it exactly how you pictured it but the perseverance will get you something worthwhile. I've had matured and renowned designers tell me that they won’t help me because nobody helped them when they started. Small things like that can never stop you from pursuing a passion once you make yourself your biggest competition.

Personal style:

I would say it’s eclectic, because although I draw inspiration from the likes of  Beyoncé and personas such as Jessica Pearson, there’s always something that is distinctly me: A mixture of sophistication, sexy and practicality.

We hope you have been inspired by this post. We will be sharing more about Vintage Nabora on our tumblr , facebook and instagram pages so keep your eyes peeled for any follow up post on Salhalina.