Miss South Africa (Miss SA) Mia Le Roux has shown off her national costume for the first time since her early exit from the Miss Universe pageant earlier this month. However, pageant fans have shared their dismay at what they believe is a lacklastre look.
The differently-abled beauty queen revealed the colourful gown while walking the runway for Cape Town Fashion Week (CTFW).
MIA LE ROUX SHOWS OFF MISS UNIVERSE NATIONAL COSTUME
In an Instagram post, Miss SA organisers revealed Mia Le Roux’s national costume for the first time.
According to organisers, the costume was crafted in collaboration with Hollywood Costumes SA and Africa Fashion International.
The fitted dress featured a Ndebele-print gown, an original artwork by renowned artist Dr. Esther Mahlangu.
“This piece celebrates South Africa’s cultural richness and interconnectedness,” said the organisation.
The national costume also featured white cloud wings, sourced by Cape Karoo International, located in Mia’s hometown of Oudtshoorn.
It continued: “These wings are inspired by Mia’s own journey, symbolizing her first spoken words after receiving her cochlear implant: ‘Look there, white clouds.’ Now, her voice reaches across the world, sharing a message of hope and unity.
Mia Le Roux said of the gown: “My national costume is a tribute to the diversity that defines my heritage. In my spirit, in my environment, and in the abundance of creativity that is being created and shared by South African artists, I resonate with the bold, colourful, and vibrant expressions that reflect our complexity.”
PAGEANT FANS SPEAK OUT
In the comments section, South Africans and pageant fans – particularly ones that run fan pages – were unimpressed by Mia Le Roux’s national costume.
@missuniverseza: “African Fashion International (@afi_sa ) has let us all as a collective down. It’s the laziest dress we’ve ever seen. It’s just such poor quality and has done little to make Mia shine”
@allthingsmisssa: “Mia deserves better. So much better”
@southafricanpageantpowerhouse: “We were not gonna make it to the top 30 with this national costume. Mia is beautiful, but the national costume.”
To add confusion, Hollywood Costumes SA distanced themselves from the look.
“We would like to clarify that the dress worn by Miss South Africa Mia le Roux at AIF Fashion Week during the reveal of her national costume was not the dress designed and manufactured by Hollywood Costumes and Heidi Couture,” read a statement on their Instagram account.
WAS MIA LE ROUX’S NATIONAL COSTUME A HIT OR MISS?
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