In full bloom
Atia at Batu Caves
by Alyssa Jaffer
Step into the flowery world of Atia Azmi of London fashion and lifestyle blog, The Bright Blooms. Equal parts craft artist, sewist and fashion blogger, Atia talks scalloped hems on homemade dresses, inclusive representation in the creative community and co-hosting her own lockdown podcast.
Have a scroll through Atia’s Instagram (@thebrightblooms) and you can’t help but feel lifted by the vibrant colours, contrasting fabric patterns and snapshots of flowers so flawless, you can practically smell them through your screen. It’s a carefully curated experience.
“I have always been drawn to bold, saturated colours and prints, so I tend to use these often. Making my own clothes has given me an opportunity to experiment with different styles, but people often associate me with bright floral dresses! On Instagram, I like to have a consistently bright and colourful aesthetic and only use natural light when shooting images,” said Atia.
Experimenting with fun textures and challenging patterns in her handmade clothes is Atia’s passion: “My favourite piece is a Liberty print dress I made recently, with a scalloped hem. It was a very detailed project requiring a lot of tracing and sewing. But the results were worth the hard work!”
With a penchant for exploring different styles, Atia is often associated with bright colours and floral dresses.
Beyond honing her craft as a sewist, lifestyle blogger and crafter, you’ll also find Atia exploring photography, knitting and gardening. But that’s not all.
“I also have a part-time job working as a GP, which is very different to what I do in my creative work!” Atia said. Working flexibly as a locum GP allows her the freedom to explore her creative pastimes.
During the lockdown, she started a podcast with a couple of friends. “I am really enjoying co-hosting the Uncut Podcast at the moment! As it’s a podcast for makers and creatives, we have great conversations with designers and bloggers within the community. It's been really encouraging to see the positive reception we’ve had,” Atia said.
As if her hat rack wasn’t already brimming, Atia is also a loving mum of three. She shared her advice for parents who might be struggling to keep a balance: “It’s best not to put too much pressure on yourself to get everything perfect during these unusual times. It's a cliché, but the main thing is for everyone to be happy and healthy – both mentally and physically. And if this means a few shortcuts occasionally, then that's okay!”
Atia is passionate about sharing a holistic picture of her life, rather than just her craft projects.
As a Muslim woman in London, Atia is also passionate about diversity and representation within the creative community — which in reality isn’t always equal. “I connect with people through a mutual love for our interests, whether that is sewing or beautiful interiors. But I have certainly felt excluded at times both online and in the real world, so I welcome the conversations that have taken place in creative communities,” Atia said.
“It is really important that I share a holistic picture of my life rather than just craft projects, so that people who may not normally meet Muslim women can understand more about my life as a Muslim woman and that we are all individuals rather than a homogenous group.
“Because of my experiences, it’s important to advocate for more inclusive representation, especially for people of colour. Brands need to consider who they are inviting to campaigns and not just select from the same small pool of established successful, diverse bloggers each time. More could be done by established influencers to ensure they are working on campaigns where there has been an effort to have equal representation,” said Atia.
In times like these, craft artists can band together to form a community of support, as the stress of COVID-19 restrictions threatens to stifle their creativity. Atia shared her parting words for those in need of a helping hand:
“I would encourage artists to share their work and to engage with others, as the support and advice is invaluable and can really help you to grow and develop.”