- Lalela Mswane is a top contender for Miss Supranational 2022.
- Already Mswane has been voted into the contest’s coveted top 10 Model of the Year slot, and has made to the second round of the Miss Supra Influencer segment of the competition.
- Mswane's national costume pays tribute to her Zulu heritage and was designed by Cape Town-based Lloyd Kandlin.
After winning Miss SA in 2021 and being crowned second runner-up at Miss Universe in December, Lalela Mswane is a top contender for Miss Supranational 2022.
The reigning pageant queen has been identified as one of the favourites at the annual pageant competition, which takes place on Friday, 15 July in Poland, where Chanique Rabe of Namibia will crown her successor at the end of the event.
Already Mswane has been voted into the contest's coveted top 10 Model of the Year slot, and has made to the second round of the Miss Supra Influencer segment of the competition.
She said from Poland: "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."
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 feminine silhouette using a beaded corset and long flowing skirt to "turn our Lalela into a beautiful African Queen".
Mswane also took 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.
Miss Supranational will be aired on DStv. More details will be provided on the Miss South Africa social media pages.