Shakira is on her first world tour in seven years to promote her album El Dorado, and the superstar is bringing all the essentials to the stage — hip shaking, perfectly textured hair and a standout, sparkly, stop-and-stare wardrobe, the latter of which is thanks to her longtime stylist, Marjan Malakpour.
Shakira and Malakpour started working together 10 years ago (yes, she helped create the famous “Hips Don’t Lie” outfit!) and they collaborated again to come up with the outfits for Shakira’s current tour. “We first met in the Bahamas to shoot an album cover and we instantly hit it off,” Malakpour tells PEOPLE. “We’ve been working together ever since.”
Malakpour has helped shape Shakira’s signature style (which is full of ripped garments and skin-showing ways). But for this latest tour, she based all the outfits around her performances to create looks that had a “bold, powerful and very rock ‘n’ roll vibe.”
“She definitely knows what she likes and doesn’t like and over time we’ve developed such a great working relationship,” says Malakpour. “We understand each other very well.”
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Among all six outfit changes, Malakpour says she can’t pick a favorite. “We’re both so happy with all of them,” she says. But a highlight of prepping for the tour (which took six months!) was collaborating with designer Juan Carlos Obando on custom outfits, which Shakira wears during “La Bicicleta” and “Hips Don’t Lie” (pictured below).
Malakpour says one of the most challenging aspects of the gig was actually just tracking down Shakira! “She’s so busy and so hands on in every department, tracking her down for fittings can be a challenge.”
Now that she has a minute to rest after planning this tour, she’s back to focusing on her shoe line, Newbark, which she designs alongside her sister (also a stylist) Maryam Malakpour.
“I love working with my sister but we don’t style together often, which makes Newbark even more special,” says Marjan.
The brand is known for their focus on functionality and comfort (the first item they designed was a foldable leather shoe that can fit in a small pouch.
“This year in August will be our 10 year anniversary which is amazing,” Marjan says. “When we first started, flats weren’t really popular besides the ballet flat, and we wanted to make something more edgy and rock ‘n’ roll.”
Now they have an array of chic, minimalistic designs and will be unveiling the Eva Bow Slides and Julia Pointy Loafers for Resort and Spring/Summer ’19 soon. Both will be available at Newbark.com.
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