On Saturday, 20 September, the Women’s University in Africa (WUA) hosted their annual pageant under the theme: Empowerment through fashion, advocacy and flair.
In more ways than one, the pageant was a pleasant departure from the scandals and fiascos that have characterized university pageants in recent years. Most university pageants tend to become vanity fairs and are often politicized, but one could tell Miss WUA was curated by students for students to see their fellow students shine.
Contestants were drawn from WUA’s five campuses across Zimbabwe.
Representing Harare campus were Courtney Mpofu, Queen Mayira, Joyful Makore and Courtney Chimina.
From Bulawayo campus were Blessing Sibanda, Simisosenkosi Ncube and Nomviko Moyo.
Melody Sachikonye, Himmler Rangwani and Emmaculate Chinyengetere were chosen from Kadoma campus; while Benhilda Zindove was Mutare campus’ sole representative after Sandra Mabvira pulled out at the last minute.
Marondera campus had Tatenda Nhemwa, Delma Rafemoyo, Chiedza Chikonhia and Esnath Paradza representing them.
Judges for the show were chosen for their diverse experience in modeling and fashion — George the Stylist, Miss Environment 2023 runner up Mitchell Simeon, and commercial model Nashel Masuku.
Speaking to Mcheno and More just before the pageant, George The Stylist expressed delight at the opportunity to judge the contestants, seeing it as another feather in his cap.
“As a stylist, I feel honoured and I feel like I’m impacting the fashion industry in a way. I’m so happy to be here and I’m looking forward to seeing how creative the contestants are,” he said.
Having been in the throes of pageantry before, Miss Environment 2023 runner-up Mitchel Simeon felt honoured to be on the other side of the runway, and was keen to use her prior experience to judge the contestants.
“I’ve never gotten an opportunity to be a judge before so being in this space makes me feel very excited. I’m expecting fireworks, I do not know any of the contestants so I’m going to be judging them from a plain piece of paper,” said Simeon.
As for commercial model Nashel Masuku, being a judge for Miss WUA might have been new territory, but she could still apply her knowledge to pageantry.
“Being a commercial model, I believe that each and every person is a brand and the way one represents themselves is like a walking portfolio of who they are.
“So, I’m going to use that knowledge to judge if the contestants what kind of brand they are, what kind of personality they bring out what kind of influence they have and how they can use it to influence others,” said Masuku (with her boyfriend in tow, as or as he described himself, ‘Nashel’s emotional support animal’).
After warming up the crowd with an energetic mix from Matty that DJ, the event started at 2000. The contestants strutted their stuff on the runway in five themed looks — streetwear, classy-chic formal, vintage classic, evening wear and traditional wear.
The designers and stylists responsible for the impressive looks witnessed on the runway included Litchel Black, Langton Lee, Anita Wisdom and Tripple Tee. We caught up with Tripple Tee and Anita Wisdom on the sidelines of the show, the duo who designed and styled the upcycled denim pieces that models wore for the streetwear category.
“Most of my inspiration comes from the movies that I watch. So for this, it was women empowerment. I watched this movie called ‘Woman King’, so most of my artistic ideas (for this show), I got them from that movie,” said Triple Tee of the inspiration behind the pieces.
The 23-year-old recognised the significance of being selected to design for Miss WUA 2024, saying; “Being selected as one of the designers for this show means a lot to me, just because it shows that I’m influential. It gives me the power to keep moving and do bigger things. To tell you the truth, I’m doing this for the people. Without people, there’s no Tripple.”
Anita Wisdom did the styling for the pieces, and described the challenge of having to style fifteen different ladies with varying body archetypes. “It was a bit tricky, but I believe with the right skill and creativity you can always put a perfect fit for anyone,” she said.
And truly, their creativity and skill shined through on the night. Litchel Black dialed back the time with a brilliant display of vintage classic wear. The contestants donned elegant evening wear to compliment their beauty for the fourth catwalk, and concluded with traditional wear.
The judges were, however, not given a chance to test the brains behind the beauty, as the organisers skipped the Question and Answer segment and went straight to the announcement of the Top 6.
In the end, only three ladies remained to take the honours. It was Harare campus’ Courtney Mpofu who took the coveted Miss WUA 2024 crown, while her counterpart Queen Mayira scooped First Princess. Simisosenkosi Ncube from Bulawayo campus won Second Princess. The deafening cheers from the crowd confirmed that the judges had made the right decision to give the sash to Mpofu.
As an icing on the cake, hip-hop superstar Bagga kept the energy flowing with an energetic performance that crossed over into midnight. It might not have ticked all the boxes for a “pageant”, but Miss WUA 2024 was a fun, memorable night for students. And for a university pageant, that’s what matters most.
The particular decision to give a platform to emerging designers and stylists is one that other universities should emulate.
University pageants should not just be vanity fairs, but rather launching pads for the careers of different players in the fashion industry. Kudos to the Women’s University in Africa Students Representative Council (SRC) for giving us a workable blueprint.
