Ayora: Kimono Couture

You may have taken notice of the whole kimono trend that’s taken over the nation as of late. We know we did. They're the new cardigan. So naturally, we spent many hours scouring various fashion accounts searching for them, and we hit the jackpot with one particular brand that (until now) is almost exclusively channeling those kimono-style vibes.

Ayora Couture, named after its founder Aya El Ghazzawy, who launched the brand with her partner Yara Shalabi, is overflowing with these flowy throw-on pieces in a kaleidoscopic array of patterns and colours, and we love it. The loose billowy shape hides a multitude of sins when you're wearing a tight top underneath, and you can throw them on over anything. It's casual comfort at its finest.

A doctor by trade, El Ghazzawy started the brand only a few months ago out of a general interest in fashion, albeit almost accidentally. "I started buying material haphazardly and it just happened," she laughs. She started piecing the fabrics together, figuring out how she wanted each one to look and designing them accordingly.

"It started with kimonos just because that look was really trending, so I wanted to use it as a starting point and then inject my own ideas and style." From solid coloured ones with embellished edges, to edgy floral print ones with fringe, to our personal favourite, seriously cool tribal prints, Ayora Couture's got all your kimono-cool needs covered.

They’ve also got some awesome handmade earrings, but not your typical ones. They look like the sort of thing you'd find if you raided your grandma's jewellery box and found her treasure trove of cool accessories from the 50s – ear candy with a distinctly vintage feel.

You can check out their Facebook page here or follow them on Instagram @ayora_couture.