Glass of Prosecco in hand, Batman film on laptop, Mahalia takes the art of relaxing before a big event very seriously.
‘I get so anxious before a red carpet,’ says the BRIT and Grammy-nominated musician, over Zoom from her hotel room. ‘That's why I try to create my home environment wherever I am.’ She tilts the camera to reveal what she’s wearing: a grey dressing gown that looks obscenely comfortable.
Mahalia’s nerves are laced with excitement. In a few hours she’ll arrive at the 2023 Fashion Awards in a bold red look that simultaneously, ‘pushes me out of my comfort zone’ and, ‘makes me feel amazing.’
The show-stopping three piece is a custom creation by Karoline Vitto. ‘The whole label is about women's bodies, about their shapes and the ways in which you can construct an outfit around the shape of the body. I watched her Milan show online last year and I was just completely blown away - by the show itself, but also by the models and the diversity and the range of body type. I was really excited by her.’
The low-rise floor length skirt, asymmetric top and beautifully face-framing hood are attached by silver links. ‘That’s definitely one of the reasons why I fell in love with her - because of the way she used metal in her pieces. I love how she uses curved silver to construct the dress and to bring it together.’
The inbuilt jewellery of the three-piece proved a jumping ground for some innovative accessories, with Mahalia and her stylist attaching intricate silver Pandora charms to each linking piece. It makes a nostalgic, full-circle moment for Mahalia, who is an ambassador for Pandora. Growing up, she remembers visiting the Pandora store in her hometown of Leicester. ‘As a kid, I remember getting my first Pandora charm bracelet. I was obsessed! I think by the end of school, I had about four charms and my mum had a couple of the same ones. Hers were usually very simple and classic, but for birthdays she used to buy me the music themed ones, like a little guitar and a music note. I loved it so much.’
As we speak, I notice her intricate silver-tipped nails. ‘Following on from the jewellery and the charm, we wanted to create something that could look like metal’ she explains. She worked with Thuy Pham, a manicurist who she met at her local nail salon, Nail Stories, ‘I've been going there for about five years – as long as I have lived in East London.’
Mahalia worked with Alizé DemangeI to craft her Fashion Awards look. ‘I've always traditionally worked with male stylists, but for this moment - what I wanted to do with the dress, and with my body, I really wanted to work with a woman who could help me show everything I wanted to show. Tonight I’m going belly out! That’s something I would have previously hidden. I've only recently started to step into my body. I’m really comfortable with where I'm at.’
It’s a striking look, and a fitting one for a musician with a newfound sartorial confidence. ‘I've got to a point where I can see myself as a sexy woman. I think for a long time I've always wanted to stay in a “tomboyish” realm, a little more masc. I think a lot of that was about hiding my body. So for me personally, tonight will be a really important moment.’
The Fashion Awards is a fitting end to a landmark year for Mahalia, one that saw her release her long awaited sophomore album, IRL, a gorgeous neo-soul record with bangers and ballads alike, before touring the UK and Europe. ‘It’s been lovely – and it’s been crazy’ she admits. Of course, it’s not over yet. In fact, Prosecco topped up, make-up artist at the door; the party is just getting started.
