Mzansi’s Local Fashion Police have been on the case… and have found four lucky South Africans guilty of being fabulous fashionistas who champion local brands.
Proudly South African has announced the four winners of its 2022 Local Fashion Police competition!
The deal was simple: showcase your favourite proudly local threads, and wait in anticipation to discover if you’d be rewarded for your taste.
Each sashay away with R20 000 worth of designer wear, and a nod to their standing in the local fashion scene. Without further ado, the winners are:
- Munashe Samaneka (who entered on Twitter – @BeckyThacy) – selected by judge Sello Medupe of SCALO
- Najib Salim (who entered on Instagram – @jazelles) – selected by judge Mapholo Ratau of Ledikana Creations
- Thandaza Hlatshwayo (who entered on Twitter – @ThandazaGal) – selected by judge Hangwani Nengovhela of Rubicon Clothing
- Yaya Mavundla (who entered on Instagram – @yayarsa) – selected by Biji Gibbs of Biji La Maison de Couture
Thanks to their loyal support of locally made clothing, helping to sustain and support South African jobs, the four super-stylish fashion patriots will also get the chance to take part in the Proudly SA Local Fashion Police fashion show finale at the end of November; wearing garments designed by the judge who picked them.
“We can’t wait to see them rocking those sensational designer outfits,” says Happy MaKhumalo Ngidi, Proudly SA Chief Marketing Officer.
Here’s a bit more about each of the winning fashionistas:
Munashe Samaneka
“I am a 28-year-old business accountant who uses social media to express my passion for modelling, fashion, and natural hair. l focus on offering practical tips on how to grow healthy natural hair, and the maintenance and styling thereof.
“I work as an assistant financial manager at an investment company, but after-hours l work on building my online presence, with a focus on Instagram. l believe l have so much value to share with my online community. This year, l have been working on a new business venture, Mufaro Essentials, to manufacture and supply organic hair products to help people struggling to reach their hair goals.”
Medupe adds, “I fell in love with how Munashe embraces vibrant colours and fabrics, mixing and matching them with effortless style. You can see from her radiant smile that she wears South African-designed clothes with confidence and enthusiasm, which I absolutely adore!”
Najib Salim
“I am a Durban-born self-appointed Proudly South African ambassador. While I appreciate international fashion, my passion lies in African fashion, arts, and culture. I exude my love for fashion in my multifaceted approach … from avant-garde to simple yet sophisticated style (and sometimes I channel Kasi street swag).
“On a day-to-day basis, I work as a health, safety, environment, risk and quality assurance director for a proudly South African organisation, RCL Foods. You can rest assured that when you purchase a brand such as Nola mayonnaise, Ouma rusks, Mageu No. 1 or Sunbake bread, it’s made with the highest level of quality and food safety by a group of people passionate about manufacturing proudly South African brands.”
Ratau shares, “Najib has got it – and boy, does she flaunt it! We’ve loved looking at all the images she’s been posting out and about, locally, and abroad, proudly rocking her South African-made outfits. She truly embodies the hashtag #WearLocalEveryday – and it’s awesome that she is clearly having so much fun doing so!”
Thandaza Hlatshwayo“I’m a 35-year-old salon owner and businesswoman from Soweto in Gauteng. I’m also a God-fearing woman and a mother to two beautiful angels. I enjoy travelling and spending time with my family.”
Nengovhela says of this winning entry, “Thandaza’s picture of herself and her two children dressed in matching canary-yellow outfits made by a local textile artist stole my heart. It’s a mother’s love personified through fashion – what more can I say? Utter perfection.”
Yaya Mavundla“I’m a multi-award-winning transgender activist, media personality, curator and community advisory board member at the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute. I was also recently named Sowetan Women’s Club Trendsetter of the Year in the arts and culture category, and Fashion Muse of the Year by the Fashion Industry Awards South Africa.
“I am currently shooting a new reality show scheduled to premiere on SABC1 in 2023 and am also working on numerous art exhibitions.”
Gibbs, who chose Mavundla as her winning entry, says, “Yaya’s style is audacious, flirty, and irresistible! She loves who she is, and she loves to express herself through fashion. I have no doubt she’s an icon in the making and much of that can be attributed to her showstopping dress sense, embracing local with lashings of fabulosity.”
Says Proudly SA chief marketing officer Happy MaKhumalo Ngidi, “We have absolutely loved seeing the outpouring of enthusiasm and positivity towards South African textiles and clothing brands during the course of this year’s Local Fashion Police campaign.”
“It buoys and sustains us in the work we are doing to place South African innovation, design flair and manufacturing at the top of the local and global agenda. It’s clear: people are buying local because they genuinely have a passion for our homegrown creativity – and it has the wonderful spin-off of sustaining jobs, too. Our four winners truly embody this spirit and make us proud to be South African!”
She said the winners’ sense of fun and flair ties in perfectly with the “fashion-meets-music” theme of the fashion show finale that will see the winners strutting their stuff on the catwalk as Proudly SA celebrates its 21st anniversary of championing “local is lekker.”
Don’t forget to keep the #ProudlySouthAfrican momentum going these holidays and show us your fabulously festive style. Remember to share your tags: #WearLocalEveryDay and #BuyLocalToCreateJobs on social media. After all, you never know if you’ll be next on the Fashion Police’s radar.
Feature Image: @handmadebygigi/ Instagram
