Miss South Africa 2021 Lalela Mswane tipped to snatch global pageant
By CityLife Arts Writer
Reigning Miss South Africa 2021 Lalela Mswane has been identified as one of the favourites at the 13th Miss Supranational competition. The pageant takes place on Friday (July 15) at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheatre in Nowy Sącz, Poland, where Chanique Rabe of Namibia will crown her successor at the end of the event.
It is due to be aired on DStv on Friday. Stay tuned to the official Miss South Africa pages for broadcast information.
Already Mswane has been voted into the contest’s coveted Top 10 Model of the Year slot and she has made it through to Round 2 of the Miss Supra Influencer segment of the competition.
Speaking from Poland she said: “I’m having the time of my life. Making it into Round 2 of Supra Influencer is an important milestone as the winner of the contest gets to advance to the Top 24.”
Mswane’s national costume – which pays tribute to her Zulu heritage – was designed by Cape Town based Lloyd Kandlin, the director of the Costume Department. He was responsible for creating the costume worn by Miss South Africa 2019, Zozibini Tunzi, who went on to be crowned Miss Universe that year.
Says Mswane: “This is a very special costume. I am not just representing South Africa, I am also an ambassador for the Zulu people and have taken their support, love and blessings to Poland with me as well.”
Her crown is braided with hair and represents the power of black women, whose strength – like Samson in the biblical story – lies in their hair. This super-strength is being reclaimed by black women across the globe as they honour and respect their natural hair.
Adds Kandlin: “The idea with the costume was to find a balance in the chaos of our everyday lives which is why I’ve used a vibrant print but carefully balanced it in perfect symmetry.”
He said the costume was inspired by the vibrant colours and designs of South African prints.
He also used traditional beading techniques and incorporated a femine silhouette using a beaded corset and long flowing skirt to “turn our Lalela into a beautiful African Queen”.
Other dresses were designed by William de Beer, designer and owner of Willetdesigns Couture who produced her pink dress seen in her preliminary rounds (picture attached) and a stunning gold creation which will be revealed on pageant night. He says: “I know most people are going to prefer the pink ombré, but I think the gold dress is angelic and perfect for Lalela who has the body of a goddess.”
Mswane also took with her a very special South African jewellery gift for auction in Poland to raise funds to help war-torn Ukraine. The magnificent 9ct yellow gold necklace (valued at nearly R30 000) is the essence of inspirational symbolism.
Designed by Nom Nom Jewels, the proudly SA jewellery brand established in 2013, the piece continues the company tradition of creating bespoke pieces that tell stories. This jewellery piece tells a story that symbolises universal truths: strength, harmony, leadership, unity, loyalty, friendship and creativity among them.
At the time of winning the Miss South Africa title in October last year, Mswane had graduated with a Bachelor of Law from the University of Pretoria. She is also a model and a dancer.
Miss South Africa is presented by Weil Entertainment in association with M-Net, Mzansi Magic and Sun International.
Go to:
o Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissSouthAfricaOfficial
o Twitter: @Official_MissSA
o Instagram: @official_misssa
o Tik-Tok: @official_misssa
o YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MissSouthAfricaOfficial