Mzansi Life & Style showcases the best that South Africa has to offer in terms of entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, culture, cuisine, travel, beauty and celebrity news. Subscribe to my website by adding your email address in the "follow" button below.
Africarare, Africa’s first metaverse is set to unlock African creativity and connect Africa to the global digital economy. At an event in Johannesburg on 28 February 2022, plans were announced for commercialisation of the 3D virtual reality experience, that is set in Ubuntuland, a virtual world that marries creativity, cryptocurrency and commerce.
Firstly, virtual land will soon be available to purchase and develop with MTN, Africa’s largest multinational mobile telecommunications company, joining Africarare with an upcoming 12×12 village (144 plots of real estate) secured in Ubuntuland. Additionally, M&C Saatchi Abelhave entered the metaverse as the first South African advertising agency to do so. There will only ever be 204 642 plots of land available, made up of different village sizes in various community hubs. The land is positioned and priced according to a tiered value system.
Landholders will be able to customize their 3-D land spaces, such as hosting shops, producing resources, renting virtual services and developing games or other applications. Designated spaces will serve the community for work, play and wellness purposes, including state of the art meeting rooms, online therapy rooms (with optional anonymity), concert stages, film festival spaces, meditation lounges and other dynamic interactive environments. And, there’s more to come, such as staking, DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) and blockchain play-to-earn gaming.
Organisers of the highly anticipated entertainment and lifestyle gathering, announced the return of the 3rd annual Cotton Fest, which is set to take place in March 2022 in Newtown, Johannesburg. The theme for 2021 is “university and campus” and the organisers have created their very own university of COTTON FEST campus through which the festival will offer a multi-layered university campus experience including a concert, merch, cafeteria, sport area and even lockers for you to store your personal belongings.
With the return of the class of COTTON FEST 2019 and the sophomores from 2020, together with the freshers of 2022, it’s almost time for the graduation of the Class of 2022 at The University of COTTON FEST.
Known for merging both established and upcoming South African talent, COTTON FEST not only showcases the diversities in music while fusing the gaps within the different local current movements. With the best South African artists expected to perform over 3 stages, this action packed two-day festival returns to The Station in Newtown on the 19th & 20th March 2022. Celebrating all South African talent, Cotton Fest not only showcases the diversities in music at large, but it also celebrates various lifestyle elements within our ‘culture,’ including fashion and sport.
THE CONCERT: The COTTON STAGE will feature headline and legacy artists. The Bettr STAGE will feature the New Wave of young talent. The Jägermeister STAGE will bring the best nights featuring House and Electronic talent, alongside some of the biggest names on the Amapiano scene right now.
SPORTS AREA: A half-court will be set up for basketball fans, along with a skating ramp for skating enthusiasts.
FASHION: Various merchandise hubs will stock unique pieces, limited branded fashion items and other sought after accessories.
CAFETERIA: Food Court will bring you a huge variety of delectable options and several fully stocked bars positioned around the venue.
MORE: There’ll also be photo booths set up for content creation as well as various chill areas to relax, recharge and reboot.
“Following the past 20 months that we have all lived through, we are humbled to be back yet again to make an impact in the entertainment industry. With the huge support and backing from artists from around the country, we are ready to kickstart the road back to normality in a positive way, and get the Creator Economy going again” says founder Riky Rick. “ With the industry currently flipped on its head, Cotton Fest, together with exciting partners hope to bring together the industry, and celebrate the graduation of the first class from the University of Cotton Fest 2022.”
In line with current government regulations, tickets will be limited to 2000 per day.
To ensure the safety of everyone attending the festival, ALL festival attendees – including all staff, partners and performing artists – will need one of the following to gain access into the venue:
Provide a personal fully vaccinated certificate (either printed or online)
Provide a negative PCR test, if only vaccinated with one dose, done within 48 hours of the festival (either printed or online)
Do an on-site Rapid Antigen Covid Test if you have not yet been vaccinated, which is available for R150 at the venue.
Tickets are on sale at Webtickets and Pick ‘n Pay outlets nationwide. Options include:
R200 Early Bird
R250 Day Pass
R500 Weekend Pass
R600 Merch and day pass package
This year, the University of Cotton Fest 2022 is proud to be in collaboration with Bettr.app – Africa’s first digital banking app for creators, by creators — and supported by lifestyle giant, PUMA, iconic Elixir brand Jägermeister and global digital payments leader, Visa.
Synonymous with youth culture in SA, the festival will be powered by none other than the iconic South African youth radio station, YFM.
For more information, please follow these social media handles:
December is the best time to enjoy quality family time together. With its fun activities and abundance of adventure, Cresta makes it easy for shoppers to get their Christmas on, with their safe and innovative festive SEAson program. In addition, the first-class entertainment lineup is so impressive that shoppers will look for excuses to make multiple visits to the mall.
Cresta is a progressive mall with mixed-use spaces that bring together entertainment, leisure, health and wellness, and other novel experiences. The centre has created community spaces where people meet, socialise and build consciousness for the environment. With over 34 fish species, the CrestAquarium Fish Tank transports shoppers and especially children to a peaceful and magical space. Children learn about the importance of protecting the marine environment at the Under the Sea Marine Exploration Exhibition at Cresta, which provides a realistic experience with animatronic models where visitors feel they are on the Coast while exploring this exhibit. The exhibition reminds us of the beauty and majesty of marine life and our responsibility to protect it. Especially for inlanders to become more conscious of our impact and footprint, we teach children the importance of picking up after themselves and keeping our beaches clean and safe.
All the allure of live is set to return to local fashion as relaxed lock-down levels allow Mall of Africa to stage South African Fashion Week Autumn/Winter Collections on the runway to a select VIP audience from 28 – 30 October 2021.
The shows featuring 29 top designers, will then again be streamed from 4 November to a wider audience including international media, designer clients and local and global followers of fashion. The 2020 show broadcasts were viewed by over 73545 people worldwide and have therefore become a key new addition to the amplification of SA fashion marketing, says director Lucilla Booyzen.
This will be followed by the SAFW Trade Show in the Crystal Court at the Mall of Africa with 40 designers of men’s and womenswear as well as accessories ranging from footwear and handbags to costume jewellry and millinery from 31 October – 1 November and the SAFW Pop Up Shop where fashion lovers will be able to interact and buy directly from all the participating designers from 3 – 5 December, in the same venue.
“Mall of Africa is immensely proud to support South African design, both by staging this dynamic showcase as well as by making retail opportunities available to talented fashion entrepreneurs,” says Michael Clampett, Asset and Property Management Executive at Attacq Limited, about the three-year hosting partnership.
According to Booyzen, participating designers are increasingly adopting the circular fashion system required to transition towards a more sustainable and cleaner, fashion order. “This is evident throughout all the collections be it the new seasonal ranges by established designers or the entries for our New Talent or Scouting Menswear competitions with feature principles such as waste reduction, low impact materials, longevity and recyclability as well as a greater emphasis on higher quality and timeless design.”
Improved synergy between the designers and the downstream value chain, particularly in the fabric and local yarn production sectors where South Africa has a strong presence such as mohair and wool production, has emerged as another key driver of future sustainability.
This has resulted in Fashion Bridges – I Ponti Della Moda, a South African and Italian designer-led initiative between SAFW, the Italian embassy, Polimoda in Florence and the Milan Fashion Week and supported by textile company Da Gamma as well as Wool SA, Cotton SA and Mohair SA, which allowed Italian designers Julian Cerro, Llaria Bellomo, Domico Orefice and Alessia Dovero and South Africans Fikile Zamagcino Sokhulu, Sipho Mbuto, The Bam Collective and Xavier Sadan to stage an exhibition at the Milan Fashion Week in September and again on 28 October at SAFW.
“Representing approximately 50% of the world’s mohair producers, we welcome the opportunity to introduce this luxurious and sustainable South African fibre to a wider audience through the Fashion Bridges – I Ponti Della Moda project,” says Marco Coetzee – general manager, Mohair South Africa
The six finalists of the Scouting Menswear Competition will open this year’s SAFW on 28 October. They are Marquin Sampson, Refuse Clothing Brand, Saint Vuyo, Umsweko, Vanklan and Boyde who will show how they have responded to the creative challenge to transform 100% textile “waste” desirable, scalable, and commercially viable garments for the South African consumers.
SAFW and OPPO celebrate the technology giant’s first year in South Africa with a new partnership that will include the staging of the OPPO Collections, a show featuring a stellar cast of Thabo Kopele, winner of the 2020 Scouting Menswear Competition, Neo Rangaka of NEO, Mikhayla Farouk of Maklele and World Fashion Award winner, Amanda Laird Cherry, all unveiling their seasonal ranges produced exclusively in sustainable fabrics.
“We are excited to have SAFW as a platform to demonstrate how OPPO’s philosophy of technology as an art form in service of mankind and being kind to the world, can be expressed in the equally modern yet classic and earth-friendly signatures of the designers we will be partnering with,” says Avashnee Moodley, Head of Marketing at OPPO.
The Rise and Shine Collections opens the week’s second day on 29 October with a collaboration between designer signatures Romaria, Ezokhetho and Erre and South Africa’s favourite personal pampering brand, Satiskin. “Satiskin has been a favourite indulgence in many South African bathrooms for a very long time. We are honoured to be the personal care and beauty partner of this platform that recognises our nation’s talent and creativity,” says brand manager Cabangile Dlamini
Day two ends with the new collections from SAFW stalwarts, Mantsho, Franc Elis, Sober and Rubicon. A trio of bright young designer talents – Artho Eksteen, 2021’s New Talent winner, Jacques Bam from The Bam Collective and 2021 New Talent finalist Michael Ludwig will collaborate on a joint show titled no season no sex, followed by the new collections respectively from Judith Atelier.
The final show of the event will feature the new collections from Johannesburg-based The Watermelon Social Club, a graduate of the 21 Steps designer development program, previous Scouting Menswear finalists, Ntando XV and Richard Hoy, ending off with Adam Chancellor-Maddison.
According to Booyzen, the partnerships with Carlton Hair, the official hair sponsor as well as MAC, the event’s official make-up, are an integral component of the SAFW offering.
The visual language of hair and make-up is part and parcel of the total fashion moment. It is critical that these stylists understand and can interpret the designer’s vision completely. Fashion and trendsetting have always been key pillars of both the MAC and Carlton Hair brands. Equally they both share SAFW’s community and clean ecology ethos. It truly is a match made in heaven for SAFW,” she says.
According to Booyzen, the online presence that SAFW has developed over the past year, is set to grow in response to the interest from fashion followers.
“We will therefore unpack both the designers’ backstories as well as those of the various brands that are associated with the event.”
Dates to diarise are:
28 to 30 October – SAFW Collections – Mall of Africa – Entrance 22
31 October and 1st November – SAFW Trade Show – Mall of Africa, Crystal Court
3rd – 5th December SAFW Pop Up Shop – Mall of Africa, Crystal Court
Maybelline New York, the world’s #1 colour cosmetics brand*, is at it again!
In 2019, Maybelline broke the Guinness World Record for the most foundation shades matched in 8 hours, right here in Mzansi, and in 2020 they hosted the biggest exclusive virtual makeup master class in South Africa. **
This year they are at it again with their Maybelline Fit Us As We Are South Africa campaign which launched in August 2021.
“Maybelline continuously pushes the boundaries with its innovative products, packaging, formulas and advertising. We are now extending this innovative spirit to our consumers where they have the opportunity to be part of something big” says Marketa Havlik-Liebenberg, General Manager L’Oréal Consumer Products Division.
“At Maybelline, we value engagement with our consumers and this campaign has gifted us the opportunity to make our consumers part of the Maybelline New York family by seeing their face on nationwide building wraps and billboards”.
To be part of the Fit Us As We Are South Africa campaign and competition, consumers must send their clear selfie holding a Fit Me Matte+Poreless Foundation to the Maybelline WhatsApp Line(+27318348838).
The picture must be of the consumer themselves and of no one else, and they will stand a chance to be 1 of 500 faces featured on 10 digital billboards and a massive building wrap sight in South Africa!
There are also 500 prizes worth R500 each up for grabs to everyone who enters the competition.
Mzansi Life & Style by Mishkah Roman-Cassiem 