It was enchanting! It was captivating! It was dazzling! It was the grand finale of the Proudly South African Local Fashion Police, where the sartorial savants of the local fashion scene descended on Africa’s richest square mile to add pizzazz and celebrate South Africa’s rich and dynamic fashion industry.
The finale of the 2025 Local Fashion Police attracted an assortment of personalities, from political heavyweights, entrepreneurs, industry doyens, fashionistas, media and social media personalities who came in droves and showcased their sartorial flair.
The grand finale of the Local Fashion Police was a night to remember, marking the end of an electrifying fifth edition of our local fashion competition. The journey began in August with an unforgettable launch aboard the iconic Blue Train, a truly South African moment where public entries officially opened and the search for this year’s standout local fashion champions kicked off.
Alongside this, the Local Fashion Police also included a masterclass series in Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town, where information-sharing sessions on brand building and running a successful business were hosted by industry stalwarts and subject matter experts with fashion students and industry players. Correspondingly, Proudly South African continued to drive the consumer campaign, encouraging members of the public to support the local fashion industry.
“The grand finale of the Local Fashion Police marks a significant milestone for this initiative, which has become synonymous with the celebration of South African fashion. Over the past five years, the Local Fashion Police has served as a rallying call for public support of local designers and an opportunity to debunk some of the myths and misperceptions about the local fashion industry.
What started with four winners each taking home R10 000 in the first year has now grown into a prestigious competition with seven fashion icons from across the length and breadth of South Africa who won this mouth-watering prize of being kitted out by one of South Africa’s leading fashion designers to the tune of R50 000 and walking the runway in front of an appreciative audience.
The seven winners, including the selecting judge, are:
- Charlene Kallis from Western Cape – Khosi Nkosi
- Tase Jack from East London – ABANTU
- Stephanie Brookes from Gauteng – Stephen Van Eeden
- Savannah Allessandra Cozzi from Gauteng – Tshepo Jeans
- Thatohatsi May from Free State – Malondié
- Lue and Rue from Western Cape – MADONSELA
- S’ne Maphumulo from Gauteng – Asanda Madyibi
We are excited and humbled by the overwhelming support we have received from South African consumers, our sponsors and our patrons in the public sector who have supported the Local Fashion Police vision of bolstering the growth of the retail, clothing, textile, footwear, and leather industries. We are looking forward to the next five years of a bigger and better Local Fashion Police,” says Happy MaKhumalo Ngidi, Chief Marketing Officer of Proudly South African.
The grand finale of the Local Fashion Police was a sartorial and musical extravaganza. Legendary kwaito group, Trompies, nearly brought the roof down when they belted their popular, rhythmic tunes that kept the crowd on their feet. R&B powerhouse and neo-soul sensation Lordkez also mesmerised the crowd with her tunes and got the crowd singing their hearts out in delight.
The audience was taken down memory lane when the alumni designers-cum-judges of the Local Fashion Police strutted their stuff down the runaway in a fashion show before the highlight of the event when the spotlight focused on all the seven winners who were the stars of the evening when they swaggered down the runway in a dazzling display of bespoke outfits designed by one of the seven brands worth R50 000 which they won as part of the competition.
Proudly South African Chief Executive Officer, Eustace Mashimbye, noted that increased support for the local fashion designers is critical as it has a ripple effect on the industry value chain in the retail, clothing, textile, footwear, and leather industries.
The 2025 Local Fashion Police was proudly sponsored by African Bank, and the Fibre Processing and Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FP&M SETA).
