MAKTUB. A Journey Written in the Stars
Some collections are planned.
And then there are collections that come about on their own, as if whispered by destiny.
Maktub is one of these.
The word Maktub, in Arabic, means “it is written.”
It has always fascinated me. I first encountered it in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, a book that changed the way I look at destiny. It tells how everything that is meant to happen will always find a way to manifest itself, often through mysterious, invisible forces.
When I began sketching the first silhouettes for this collection, that is exactly how I felt: as if something greater was guiding my hand, as if every fabric, every shade, every cut had already been written somewhere in the universe.
But destiny alone is never enough.
Behind every line there is a battle; behind every dream there is hard work.
For me, fashion has never been just about beauty. It is courage.
The courage to keep believing even when the road ahead is uncertain.
The courage to remain authentic in a world that rewards conformity.
And, above all, the courage to talk about women, to tell their deepest truths, in a society that too often still tries to silence them.
Maktub is a tribute to them.
To women who rise every day with grace and strength; to those who dare to shine in spaces that have been dominated by men for too long.
Each garment is an enchantment of power, a hymn to freedom, an act of love toward that divine madness that lives within every woman when she decides to be herself to the fullest.
The collection takes shape through the four elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, invisible energies that intertwine to create a new form of magic.
Chiffon and organza evoke the ethereal and the invisible, like smoke or spirits suspended in the air.
Silk and brocade tell of ancient rituals and esoteric nobility, of power and rebirth.
Crêpe and cady flow like living lava, creating elegant drapes that caress and sculpt the body, celebrating its presence and strength.
Colour is my compass.
White and silver evoke moonlight, clairvoyance, and purity.
Gold speaks of sacredness and power.
Brown and sand evoke the Earth, roots and stability.
Sea green speaks of the depth of Water, intuition, and mystery.
Red is Fire, passion and feminine power.
And then there is black, which guards the occult, the night, and protection: that sacred darkness in which everything originates.
But among these elements there is a fifth, invisible and necessary one, which moves and unites all the others: Freedom.
A word that I always like to pair with another: Madness.
Because only those who dare to be a little crazy can create something truly magical.
The birth of Maktub was not easy.
Finding the right fabrics, selecting artisans capable of interpreting my vision, balancing weight and lightness, strength and grace — all this required months of work, sleepless nights, and stubborn determination.
But this is precisely the heart of my craft: transforming effort into art, limitations into possibilities.
Every thread, every stitch carries with it a part of that struggle, that love, that fire that drives me to never stop creating.
When I saw the models walking the runway in the latest looks from the collection, wrapped in veils, powerful and light at the same time, I didn’t just see women wearing clothes.
I saw warriors, modern witches who no longer hide, who make sensuality their highest form of freedom and resistance.
The witches are back.
And their magic is made of silk, fire, and courage.
Maktub is not just a collection; it is a statement.
A reminder that everything written in our souls will, sooner or later, find a way to take shape in the world.
Wear your destiny.
And never stop believing in your magic.
_ Barbara Rizzi
