A Work of Passion

Selina Nusrat, the innovative mind behind the fashion boutique, Chantilly, has been drawing people to her designs for some years now. The brand’s journey truly began when she was a child and grew up seeing her aunts make wonderful outfits for her and her sisters for various occasions. She designed her first dress for herself when she was in the fourth grade for her class party and two years later, she made her first complete suit from cutting to stitching. Despite her early success in the sartorial field, Selina was also working towards gaining experiences in a more conventional sphere. She completed an MBA and worked in ANZ Grindlays Bank which later merged as Standard Chartered Bank. Moreover, she also briefly worked with British High Commission in Dhaka. Continuing to develop and explore her creativity further, Selina, in early 2005, started designing exquisite sandals and shoes for her customers to match with their outfits under the name of brand Matir, which and later on in 2009, established a clothing line in addition to this. During that time she displayed her collection at Dhaka Fashion Week 2010 and Dhaka Bridal Show. Her progress was abruptly interrupted as she moved to England in 2011.

Trying to make the most of her situation, Selina started attending designing classes to build on the skills she had been using for her boutique back home. Shortly after returning from England, she launched the brand Chantilly in 2017 and the response from her customers was amazing. Selina’s first show, Timeless Love, was held in May 2018 and was an immense success. The quality of her materials along with the meticulous details and thought that went behind each unique piece is particularly noteworthy. “I put in a lot of attention to my work, all of my creations are characterized by plenty of minute details.” Following the success of the first fashion show, a second iconic show was held in Cox’s Bazar in October 2018 by the beachside, called ‘Of Shores Sunsets and Beaches’. This was the first time ever in Bangladesh that a fashion show had been carried out by the beach and it was a tremendous hit. ‘Nesa’, her new collection for the upcoming Eid festival, is dedicated to her grandmother. “It is inspired by my grandmother’s deep fondness of flowers and fragrances”. Selina is hosting an exhibition of her Eid-ul-Fitr collection on the 4th of May from 10:30am to 8:30 pm at Bistro E, Bay’s Edgewater, Gulshan 2 and is hoping for the success of this collection.