A celebratory collection of portraits
Our Style Has No Limit campaign is a celebratory collection of portraits representing the diverse, dynamic and unique people of Wembley Park.
We know that over half of Brits feel empowered more than ever before to ‘be real’, sparking a new culmination of storytelling that recognises local heroes, model citizens and the eclectic style within our community over the last 12 months.
Championing local role models and empowering individuality sits at the heart of our campaign. It encapsulates the diversity of guests we welcome at London Designer Outlet, fusing our multicultural community with fashion attitudes.
We have captured portraits of twelve Wembley faces that are expressive, exude colourful tones and communicate the true essence of London Designer Outlet and its people.
Interviews accompanying the portraits go deeper, exhibiting intimate storytelling, ranging from whimsical to heart-warming, read on to discover more about the faces of our Style Has No Limit campaign.
NILIK KHIMANI
“Confidence is the best piece of clothing you can wear”
Nilik is a 26-year-old British-Gujarati Indian, Multi-Disciplinary Creative Artist. Challenging perceptions in the Indian community, Nilik pursued his goal of being an artist. His practice is reflexive and built on the foundations of exploring his own subjectivities and contemporary culture, this has been reflected in his fashion style. Recently featured in titles such as Verve India, Vogue India and GQ India, Nilik is becoming a regular face in the fashion scene, most recently featuring on the runway at London Fashion Week SS23.
Having spent a large part of his childhood visiting family and friends in the Wembley area, Nilik enjoys frequent visits to immerse himself in the rich culture it presents. From food to fashion, Wembley has given Nilik a place of belonging, and strengthened his connection to his roots.
For Nilik the opportunity to be part of this campaign and create a conversation around diversity and opportunity for creatives is empowering, especially for British-Indian men, to realise their potential, and break down stereotypes and cultural boundaries.
BIANCA WARDALY
“Neurodiversity is my superpower”
Bianca is a full-time university student studying BA Hons Acting and Performance. Living with neurodiversity learning difficulties including Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, it’s difficult for Bianca to memorise learning lines, follow directions, do mathematics or embrace any slight changes.
Being a black woman over the age of 30 with neurodiversity learning difficulties, and the eldest and only mature student in her class at university, Bianca has been presented with many challenges, finding herself mocked, provoked and set up to fail by many of the younger students.
However, this has only made her stronger and hungrier to succeed, expressing herself through acting. Bianca wants her story to be told, as she represents creative freedom and many deserving untold stories within the community at London Designer Outlet.
ADIL MALIK
“Life is an adventure. Connecting to like-minded people powers my ambition to raise awareness of the amazing community support for those battling a cancer diagnosis.”
Adil was born in Scotland along with his four older sisters but moved to North London when he was two years old. Adil is an actor and wrestled internationally entertaining foreign crowds, with a passion for entertaining.
Last year Adil was diagnosed with stage three kidney cancer out of the blue. As he is a fit individual who looks after his health, he struggled to wrap his head around the diagnosis. Whilst having symptoms he decided he would record a vlog of his journey, and he did this through his treatment.
Starring in a recent documentary ‘Wrestling With Cancer’, Adil spoke with NHS doctors, surgeons and survivors about cancer and how we can battle and combat it. He uses his spare time to raise awareness of early detection and visibility of cancer charities across London, bringing adventure to every day – his highlights so far have been living in the mountains in Peru and volunteering at an elephant sanctuary.
ALEXANDROS KAPRAVAS
“Life is not too short, it’s too long. You only make it short by not making the most out of it”
Alexandros moved to London from Greece in 1999 where he became a permanent resident at Wembley Park. He came to London initially to complete his master’s degree at the Royal College of Art but decided to stay in London after graduating due to the quality of life the city provided.
An artist and academic, Alexandros takes a break from his job by visiting LDO with his dog Yannis for a daily walk, he has done this for the last 10 years, calling it a refreshing part of his routine.
In 2021 Alexandros was admitted to hospital with Covid-19, and after falling into a five-week coma, his heart stopped for a total of 25 minutes. He remained in the hospital for six months. When asked what made him smile the most, his response was “life”. Even through the worst illness, his outlook on life was still positive. Reflective on this, he provided us with a meaningful quote, “Life is not too short, it’s too long. You only make it short by not making the most out of it.”
PARLOS ROMEO HYLTON
“LDO is the urban backdrop to my success”
Born and raised in Wembley, Parlos feels very blessed to wake up every morning and live in such a diverse and culturally vibrant part of London. Wembley has provided Parlos with an array of opportunities, as it’s where his love for dance and rap was born. Dancing under the arches of the stadium, Parlos has been lucky to make an income from his passion and believes his patience and self-belief have been crucial throughout the past few years.
Although Parlos’ dancing rocketed him to TikTok fame, he reminds himself that’s not what ‘made’ him, he is a self-assured, dedicated local who puts his generosity and love into everything he does.
CHARLENE FRANCOISE
“Self Love Is Pivotal”
Charlene Françoise is the prime example of what it means to be an ambassador for The Style Has No Limit campaign. A career, teaching assistant, volunteer, and single mother of two, Charlene finds her freedom by expressing herself with fashion and her eclectic style.
Committing to giving back to the Wembley community, Charlene regularly uses her free time to host charity giveaways for K.O.E which stands for Kids Over Everything, providing clothes, shoes, and household items to those in need. The goal? To create positivity in the community and put a smile on someone’s face; many of whom need essentials.
She says, “This enables us to all stay connected and reminds us to be generous and courteous of others. People of all cultures, nationalities, religions, and ages come together, and it is a heart-warming feeling having a positive impact on each other’s lives.”
KOJO BREFO
“Proud to make a difference and serve the community.”
As a young boy, he visited Wembley to play football with his friends. Kojo Brefo is now a well-known figure within the Wembley Park community, working as a Firefighter. Turning his hand to multiple community projects, including running with @LDN SLCT, a running club using cultural expression through a physical narrative. He loves to challenge himself, and one of his most recent endeavours was running the London Marathon.
Father to a 14-year-old daughter, Kojo’s prime goal in life is to be a role model for her. Believing in the importance of celebrating talent, perspective, and confidence in who you are, he is proud of how far he has come and to be one of the faces of the LDO campaign, citing “I hope the campaign will be a lightbulb moment for people and encourage them to be bold and celebrate individuality and talent.”
NIKOLA K
“I’m well-travelled, yet London I call home”
Nikola K grew up in a small village in the Czech Republic and made her journey to the UK in 2013 where she worked as an au pair for four years. Moving to London from her small town opened her eyes to how big the world is and gave her a thirst for travel, residing in Wembley and finding a home, working as a private nanny in London.
Nikola believes her story is important to London Designer Outlet because she is a shining example of how even people like her, who grew up in a small village in the Czech Republic, from a working-class family earning very little money, can make it their way up in the world. She is now an independent woman, supporting herself and her family, able to travel and explore the world, and proud of what she has achieved. Nikola hopes her story inspires those in a similar position to what she once was.
SERENA PATEL
“I take inspiration from urban multicultural food and fashion”
Serena grew up local to Wembley and finds that LDO holds a special place in her heart, sharing many memories with friends and family. Serena has been building an online platform for the past two years to share her love and passion for food.
Her favourite thing about the London Designer Outlet is the easy access to the variety of available food and drink – alongside the shopping. Style has no limit when it comes to Serena developing recipes and using new techniques to present her food creations, citing that styling and homeware bring her “indescribable joy”.
ANGE
“Style and singing is the way I reveal parts of myself”
Ange was raised in Dublin and moved to London in 2014 when she was 18 to pursue a career in microbiology. A change in circumstances saw Ange pursue a career as a social worker in Wembley alongside her singing hobby, releasing her first single called ‘Let Me In’ next year, an expression of her inner struggles, life experience and journey.
Ange took a leap when moving to London and is proud of the steps she took for herself which led to her achievements today. She is excited to reveal this side of herself to the community, in the hope that it inspires someone to be their authentic self and own every part of it!
SUSHANK CHIBBER AND RAHUL MAHLE
“Wembley is a poignant meeting point for us”
Sushank and Rahul are an extraordinary South-Asian gay couple who met in Wembley Park five years ago. Since then, their relationship has been long-distance across the Atlantic, between Wembley and New York. Although their long-distance relationship can often be a challenge, their spark is undeniable. They believe their thick skin and supportive families are why strong today.
While in Wembley together, Sushank and Rahul often visit London Designer Outlet to soak up the diversity, indulge in the wonderful variety of food and meet friends. The community at LDO makes them feel incredibly welcome and at home, and the individuality of Wembley allows them to remain true to themselves.
THEONI THERNANDO
“I find strength knowing I’m making an impact in the Wembley community”
Theoni grew up in Paris and arrived in North West London in 2009 speaking limited English. Identifying as an ethnic minority whilst trying to fit into school and having to skip a grade was challenging for her, but through hard work and determination, she made it her mission to catch up, learn English and become fluent.
Now a voice in the Wembley community to help young people, and support social welfare and services, Theoni is a part-time presenter on London community radio, interviewing celebrities such as Daniel Durant and Tendai Mtawarira on injustices they have faced in their respective industries.
Grateful for her role working for Wembley serving charities and organisations that tackle social injustices and champion topics including mental health, housing and disability, until this day it is very important to Theoni to raise awareness on these issues, now pursuing her career as a peer outreach worker at the Mayor of London’s office.
