Special guests arrived in troves to celebrate Ghazal’s first fashion jewellery collection, including Ellie Golding, Alex Eagle, Georgiana Huddart, Tiny Tempah, DJ AJ Odudu, Philip Colbert, and Jack Davidson to name but a few.

The Inspiration

“The AW23 Jewel collection has been in the making for quite some time. The brand’s iconic pictogram was the inspiration, derived from a lower case ‘g’ with a dot above, which in Arabic is pronounced a ‘Gh’ sound, the curves and turns of the pieces are designed to delicately embrace and outline the body” says Ghazal’s founder, Houda. Read more…

Since, Ghazal has developed a core shoe collection ‘The Icons’ that epitomises understated glamour, and has remained largely unchanged since its fledgling years with an immediately recognisable signature silhouette, the Jackie Pump.

At the origin of Ghazal’s philosophy is the need to reinvent a paragon of a woman who was lost. Someone iconic, glamorous, and engaged. Ghazal wants her to reveal her inner power. Accessories to embellish her; a detail that can completely change her look and the image she wants to convey. The annual capsule collections place modernity, diversity, and most importantly beauty at the forefront, so it was only natural for the brand to evolve into the jewellery space. “I see Ghazal becoming the luxury, cool, and sexy accessory brand that women love to wear”, says founder Houda L. Ghazal. “An emblem of quality: the finest materials and attention to detail are key features of Ghazal, to deliver accessories that are quintessentially premium”, she continues.

When considering the expansion into jewellery, Houda’s inspiration stemmed from a heartfelt memory – a photograph of her parents on their wedding day. In the picture, Houda’s mother is adorned in large gold vintage jewels, earrings, necklaces, brooches, and a headpiece. “The jewellery my mother wore on her wedding day was elaborate, it was a statement, and it looked stunning. The kind of jewellery that turns heads, but she wore it, it adorned her – it only elevated her beauty, and that has been a huge inspiration for me.”

“To me, Ghazal is a posture, an attitude. Our iconic designs are made to serve the everyday life of women that are in constant movement and change, they are a detail. They must be a detail. A detail that can completely change a look from morning to evening, and therefore influence the woman’s attitude and the way she feels. Putting on a Ghazal accessory should empower, and give women the reassurance they need to embrace their femininity, their beauty.” Houda explains.

“As with Ghazal’s footwear line – we chose to concentrate the entire phase of sampling and production in one of the largest and specialised Italian districts of fashion jewellery, in Tuscany” Houda continues. “Each piece within the Amal Collection has been sanded, sculpted, and welded to perfection by master Italian craftsmen and to maintain the finest quality, our laboratories perform an anti-allergic treatment with a first finish in white bronze. Each Ghazal jewel is then plated with a layer of galvanic in palladium, a precious and rare metal of the platinum family, which confers extreme shine and finally, a thick layer of precious 24-carat gold finishes each piece,” says Houda. The result? Beautifully bold, unique fashion pieces, made to last a lifetime.

“My last memories of Lumule were running to hide in bushes almost three times a day”

Lumule Primary School was Dennis’s first school. “I used to study beneath the shade of a tree which still grows to this day”, he says. But, due to the rebels frequently attacking his village, looting houses, kidnapping children, and burning homes down, he was often taken on the run to hide in the bushes by his teachers until it was safe to return to the village.

Dennis’s father had fled Lumule when he was just 5 years old to seek out a better life for him and his children, and by custom, his mother had returned to her own village following their divorce. So, young Dennis and his little brother lived with his nan but didn’t always sleep under her roof because, sleeping in bushes was safer to avoid capture by the rebels. 

He remembers his first interaction with one of the men. “I was brushing my teeth, getting ready for school, and then saw men in army uniforms running around chasing a chicken”. This chicken is a valuable source of food for his neighbour. “I shouted at the man in my tribal language to leave the chicken alone”. The man halted in his tracks and turned his gaze to the brave voice that had called out to him, staring for some moments before returning his attention to chasing the chicken. Dennis’s nan hurried him back inside, but keeping a 7-year-old indoors for long isn’t easy. 

“There was one time me and my cousin Patrick went to play; it was safe”. The boys had an old bicycle wheel and would use a stick in the spokes to wheel it along the dusty roads. Never letting it lose momentum, running faster and faster until they lost track of how far their feet had taken them. “The rebels came that day”, Dennis says. They were too far from home to seek shelter, but thankfully, a local woman bundled them into nearby bushes along with some other stray children to hide. “I remember it was a tough night this night. It was really raining, so the woman gave us sheets to cover ourselves. I could hear gunshots; I was really, really scared”

Over the years, Dennis and his family survived on food stamps, each time walking miles to the only supermarket that accepted them. They’d live out of their packed bags, hopeful that their daily visits to the homeless shelter would one day result in a forever home. Although these struggles weren’t quite the same as those they’d experienced in Africa, living was still a challenge. Dennis says he tried to remain positive, “We can sleep, there are no bombs, our neighbours aren’t being abducted, it was bearable”, he would tell himself.

“Education was everything”

After years of moving between temporary accommodations, Dennis and his family finally found a stable home in Mile End. He was able to register with a school and begin studying.

Back in Lumule, education was a luxury and carried a hefty price tag. Only 33% of children complete primary school, as parents must choose between providing three meals a day or selling the food to pay for school fees. So when Dennis started to receive money in the form of a student loan, he chose to use some of it to help his father support their family back in Uganda. He generously paid for his three cousins’ school fees, ensuring they had a chance at a full education.

“I signed on a Thursday, and by Saturday, I was shooting for i-D magazine”

Fast forward to today, and Dennis is making a name for himself in the modelling industry. A stark contrast to his life in Africa, he’s worked with clients such as Christian Louboutin, Gant, Dazed Magazine and Vogue. 

When discussing the start of his fashion career, Dennis explains that he was scouted multiple times before finally signing with an agency. “I felt like I wasn’t ready for it, worried my education would come second”. Dennis’s father firmly believes education comes before anything, so for Dennis it was never a question that his studies must come first, but when he was close to graduating in Biochemsitry at East London University, he was again offered a modelling job, a few hours work that was over half his monthly salary, he accepted. 

When he arrived at Lumule Primary School, what he found was worse than he had imagined. Bullet-riddled walls barely stood, and the children lacked access to basic food during school hours. They would spend lunchtime beneath trees with empty stomachs, unable to concentrate during lessons.

It became clear to Dennis that Lumule needed more than just his support; they needed a voice. So, upon returning to London, he started the Lumule Foundation, determined to help the community access education and opportunities needed to succeed in school – and in life.

“I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I want to extend my luck as far as I can back into my community.”

Now that the region is relatively safe, Dennis dreams that the Lumule Foundation can help rebuild the school and transform it into a safe learning environment. He has recently set up a school meal programme to feed the children of Lumule Primary School with a functional kitchen, store room and eating area. He has a vision of a playground where children with full bellies have the energy to play freely without the threat of danger. The Lumule Foundation aims to create a space where girls can learn life skills and where boys returning from war can find support to forge a brighter future.