One of Beyoncé’s gowns locally designed for the Global Citizen’s Concert cast South Africa’s talents in the international spotlight.
International artist Beyoncé had asked South African haute couture designer duo Quiteria and George to make a dress for her performance at the Global Citizens Festival. The results of the gown wowed millions of people.
Founder of Manualrossa Apparel, Enhle Mbali-Maphumulo is still emotional: “Beyoncé loves amazing, avant-garde outfits and that’s exactly what we went for and she loved it. I don’t know if you saw the pink outfit that’s how we knew we were on the right path, when I saw it I was like yes we did good.”
The opportunity has opened doors for these designers and turned the spotlight on the continent’s talent.
“Africa is developing and we can’t all be islands, at the same point we have to amalgamate ideas and make this island a full on continent. We are so full of talent, we are so full of passion, it’s just a matter of moving forward with it. I truly believe in the idea of amalgamating, ideas, talent and brands, exactly what we did here.”
Co-designers George Malelu and Quiteria Kekana said the dress was inspired by the “METAMORPHOSIS” line recently showcased at Africa Fashion Week.
Maphumulo encourages young people to exploit these moments, “It’s just also up to us now to take the opportunity we’ve been given to make something of it. And here we are we are sitting on a gold mine. It’s up to us to strike and do something about it.”
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