The Muslim Life Expo is the first of it's kind. Steering away from the simple religious aspects of Islam, it aimed to look at the lifestyle of British Muslims. The organisers Shabana and Tahir Mirza, wanted to focus on inspiring muslim business and enterprise across the UK and Europe and let me tell you now there were plenty of inspiration to go around.
First of all, let's talk about food. Many people can find it hard looking for Halal (Kosher) food which they enjoy from the supermarkets. With out busy millennial lifestyles if we have to pick up a ready meal it is usually a vegetarian option, which is fine if you do not mind eating your veggies like me. For people such as my dad they prefer something a bit meaty and this weekend I discovered amazing companies such as iEat who provide all your favourite meals such as Shepherds Pie. What I love is that iEat in particular is sold across all the major supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco, so the next time you are looking for a ready meal to help you out of a bind you don't have to automatically reach the veggie option.
Another highlight of the weekend for me was the fashion show. In fact it was probably my favourite part of the weekend. I got to meet the lovely Amena from Pearl Daisy who is just as stunning in real life as her videos portray. She had a Pearl Daisy stand full of her Hoojabs. It the was the first time I was able to see them in the flesh and I was awe of the quality and the colours. The studded ones have to be my favourite and I am definitely going to be picking up a couple of them.
There was also a beautiful fashion show directed by the lovely Zaf Shabir. He helped showcase up and coming brands such as Sanzaa Ltd, Aidah London, Dressmaker London and Parduh. My personal favourite part of these four brands was the way in which they stepped away from the regular traditional Indian style of dress. Each brand had a unique western twist to them which as a young girl who loves fashion I found appealing.
I was also looking forward to meeting the lovely Nadia from British Muslim TV. She is a presenter for the channels flagship show 'Sister Hour'. BMTV was one of the main sponsors for the show. I was able to talk to them and I am even set to appear in a segment they filmed over the weekend. Nadia was incredibly lovely and it is fantastic to see a lifestyle channel being born.
I could be here for telling you all how incredible the weekend was but you all have busy lives to get back too. If you want to know more make sure you check out the hashtag #MLE2015. I was dealing with the social media for the event during the two days so I know there is plenty to see across the platforms.