It’s the final day of the bank holiday weekend (and our last public holiday until Christmas. Boo). But there’s still time to catch some colour at the annual Notting Hill Carnival! It’s Europe’s biggest street festival and this weekend the event is celebrating its 50th anniversary! The carnival has its roots in African-Caribbean Culture and is a spectacular parade showcasing music, dance and awesome costume design.
When it comes to Carnival, our favourite costume brand has to be Bacchanalia. The brainchild of Kelly Rajpulsingh, Bacchanalia is one of two distinct labels offered by the designer, the other being her high fashion label “Kelly & Co.”, which features more wearable numbers besides her eye catching costumes.
We first came across Kelly Rajpulsingh when Kelly & Co. was showcased at the House of Ikons show in February. Back then, we were fan-girling over model Maurisa Coleman (we still are), who also happens to be sister brand Bacchanalia’s brand ambassador:
The Bacchanalia brand exists as a tribute to carnival, playing with colour and creativity. We’re totally taken by two iconic collections from the brand. “The Legacy of She” is a celebration of women, inspired by the strengths and multidimensional nature of womanhood. Our favourites from this collection are “Hope” and “Warrior”. Hope depicts the sun in the sky and is a true showpiece, while Warrior is like something straight out of The Lion King.
The other collection we’re raving about is “Supernatural”. Released for 2017, it pioneers the path away from traditional feathers and beads toward new techniques and fabrics in a way that has never before been seen at Carnival. We love the collection’s main show-piece, “Phoenix”. with it’s breath-taking fiery layers of red, orange and yellow.
We also adore the collection’s front line costume, “Dragon”.
These masterpieces of creation make Bacchanalia the country’s leading costume design label for Carnival. So keep an eye out for the Bacchanalia Masband if you’re attending the Notting Hill Carnival. It’s sure to be the brightest band in the parade!
