What do Milan and Guludo have in common? Not much I hear you clamour. One is a buzzing commercial metropolis with a football arena that has hosted some of the greatest matches and players the world has have ever seen whereas the other is a fantastic place for a pizza. The answer my friend is that running through the veins of every man, women and beast in either of these two world renowned places is a burning passion for fashion.
Oscar Wilde once mused that fashion is something so ugly that it is forced to change its appearance every 6 months. I think if Wilde had had the opportunity to see the creativity that has gone into some of the beautiful jewellery and clothing being paraded around such a humble village as Guludo he would be thinking twice about such a brash statement. The infamous portrait of his most illustrious protagonist would almost certainly have taken a real turn for the worse for such a sinful outburst.
The Jewellery is locally known as ‘Milala’ due to the plant that it is made and weaved from. The collections consist of a spectacular mixture of intricate designs and bold shapes across a plethora of different necklaces, bracelets, table-mats and coasters. You can also come across some slightly stranger items; my personal favourite is the Milala tea-pot. Extremely un-practical it may be but it would certainly take pride of place on any given mantle piece just for pure imaginative genius.
The clothes are equally as creative as the local ladies fearlessly defy the rulebook in terms of clashing colours by using every shade available to them for the latest in headscarves, tops and skirts. Far from being over the top, the bright patterns are worn with an effortless air of un-perturbed elegance. It has to be mentioned that much of the traditional ‘Kapalana’ cloth that is used comes from our entrepreneurial head-waiter, Idris, who has set up shop just off Guludo’s sandy high street. A dozen eggs, a can of condensed milk and the latest trends. Milan’s flagship stores could certainly learn a thing or too.
