In preparation for our Summer Party on 22nd July, we took time out to speak to Layla, the intoxicating fortune teller who will be running a pop-up shop at Pavilions on the day.
So what leads one to become a fortune teller?
The psychic streak runs in my family! I inherited my Great Auntie’s Ouija board and cards and studied the old ways, including tea leaf reading and even Roman fortune telling, from omens and fire and even bird flight. When I was 18 I was the youngest full-time fortune teller in the country, and I love to keep the old fashioned tradition alive . . . with a modern twist.
You certainly look the part! Where do you draw your fashion advice from?
I was a model for several years, so I direct and style all my fortune teller promo photographs myself – mostly with some weird props that I have lying around!
I base my look on the Hollywood idea of a fortune teller, because when people see the cards and eyeliner they’re intrigued and a bit more relaxed. It can be a bit scary for people if you just look normal and then you start telling someone all about their love life and horrible boss!
What would you say is your fortune telling style?
In the olden days there was no internet or phone, and everyone in the village knew your business. If you were lucky, you could see the local Wise Woman for a peek into the future, or somebody in the family would read your tealeaves. So it wasn’t dark and scary and it wasn’t weird, it was just a normal part of life.
When I read the cards, I hope it’s like chatting to a good friend or auntie, with the advantage that she can read the cards for you.
What can people expect when paying you a visit?
First of all, I’m not scary! Ha! I’m not going to tell you that you’re going to die next week. And unfortunately, I can’t give you the lottery numbers either.
I look at the different forces at play in your life, from career and financial, to love and even your own psychic side. Everyone is different, and all readings are completely unique. There’s a lot of fun and humour in my work, and I like to answer people’s questions about the future in detail.
Your boyfriend is a Shaman! Is that a match made in heaven?
He’s an actor with a great knack for creating weird characters! There is a lot of Voodoo and fascinating African magic from his parent’s homeland, and his witch doctor character is extremely funny, and occasionally a little bit scary.
He doesn’t actually sacrifice chickens though, because he’s an animal lover and a strict vegan! So your dogs and cats are safe around him. He won’t use them in a voodoo ritual.
We have to ask . . . where did you guys even meet?
We met because our mutual friends cast me in a horror film that he was directing. 18 months later we’re expecting our first magical Voodoo baby! All foretold in the cards, of course.
You’ve agreed to donate 20% of your takings on the day towards the Grenfell Tower fund. Why is charity important to you?
Hopefully it will be a good day and I’ll be donating more than that. The people in that tower block could easily have been our family, friends and neighbours. They were decent people and don’t deserve to be displaced or forgotten.
I would love to see the surviving residents receive the best help available to recover and move forwards – from mental health support to housing, and everything in between.
When the event is over, where can people find you for a reading?
You can email me on Laylabombayla@icloud.com, and I am based in Woolwich.
We’d like to thank Layle for her time, and can’t wait to see her at the event! To get your reading, visit the Pavilions Shopping Centre between 10am – 4pm on Saturday 22nd July.
