The Cause Collective: fashion and charity
FOR MOYALIA TOKMAK, HER EXOTIC BOUTIQUE IS MORE THAN JUST A FASHION STORE. A’LIA COLLECTIVE OFFERS COMMUNITY, CREATIVITY AND CHARITY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON BEAUTY FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
Moyalia Tokmak floats towards me. She is draped in rich, beautiful colour, her blonde hair is wild and her arms, adorned in silver and turquoise, move from prayer position to an embrace. “It is so good to meet you.”
It’s unseasonably cold and miserable outside, but A’lia Collective, Moyalia’s boutique in Bowen St, feels warm and comforting. Spicy Arabic oil lingers in the air, Indian music softly plays and I feel transported to another world.
From the walls hang racks of vibrant colour and varying textures of beautifully hand-crafted textiles from all over the world. A medley of patterns and shapes of what Moyalia describes as all the trappings of travel.
“This place is like a travel journal to me,” she says, smiling. “I often think in colour and I’m moved by colours. To me, places reveal their identity through a palette.”
There are block prints from Jaipur, pashminas and patchwork from Rajasthan, embroidery from the Banjara region, weavings from Bhutan and silks from Varanasi, reflecting Moyalia’s lifelong love for India and Nepal.
Ceramics, homewares, handbags and bespoke jewellery fill the shelves like works of art.
“I’ve never been a ‘less is more’ type. If there is a space, I’m going to fill it with something beautiful,” Moyalia laughs, adding she’s inspired by Frida Khalo, Bridget Bardot and Iris Apfel.
For the former co-owner/manager of Sofra, one of the city’s most-loved restaurants, the collective is more than a fashion boutique. Moyalia sees it as a way of life and an opportunity to work in communities both local and abroad.
She admits the past few years have held wonderful moments, as well as challenges and life changes.
In 2015, Moyalia was the driving force behind the Goodwill Village, a fundraising effort to rebuild a school in Satyadevi province in Nepal after the devastating earthquake that killed more than 9000 people and destroyed villages.
During her trip to Nepal, Moyalia was asked to meet 12 children at a small orphanage in Thankot, a four-hour drive from Kathmandu. Devyanter Community School and Home in Thankot housed three girls and nine boys of various ages and castes. In the past three years, with the help of Moyalia and money from the collective, the school and home has now grown to care for more than 150 students.
“Sometimes you have to be brought to your knees, to have everything taken
Sometimes you have to be brought to your knees, to have everything taken away from you, to discover what you’re really made of.
away from you, to discover what you’re really made of,” she says.
“We all have an inner resilience that keeps directing us to our true north, and when we are still enough … we are transformed.
“And you know that can be as a woman or a community or even a country,” referring to her time spent in Nepal in the aftermath of the earthquake.
“One thing that stays with me is that the Nepalese people, as far as owning things, really have nothing, yet they live with a grace and integrity and a deep sense of gratitude that is not always evident here.
“I feel like this comes from living in the here and now, being present in the moment, worrying less about the future and trusting divine providence.
“It made me think that greatest offering you can give to others is your presence. So I created a sacred space for just that. And those who come here can not only buy beautiful dresses, but they can also just be, and rest in awareness and be present for one another.”
She works closely and creatively with local artists, photographers, models and her ‘tribe’ of much-loved friends, who she says has been invaluable in helping her start the business.
The collective hosts basket weaving workshops with local refugee groups, yoga nidra during the week and mehndi (henna application) on Saturday mornings.
“I found this graffiti written on a wall once in India. It read, ‘It is a woman’s divine birthright to feel beautiful’ … and it really stuck with me and it’s what I want to create here.”
Beautiful inside and out.
VISIT MOYALIA AT A’LIA COLLECTIVE 8 BOWEN ST, TOOWOOMBA OPEN: TUESDAY TO SUNDAY 9.30AM-5PM, SATURDAY AND SUNDAYS BY APPOINTMENT INSTAGRAM: ALIACOLLECTIVE FACEBOOK: A’LIA C’TIVE