She may have not won but walking on that stage and representing the nation was a big win on its own.
Miss South Africa 2022 Ndavi Nokeri represented the country at the 71st Miss Universe competition in New Orleans last week.
Twenty-three-year-old Nokeri – who comes from Gabaza in the Greater Tzaneen, Limpopo, made it to the top 16 against contestants from 84 other countries.
During her national costume showcase, she wore a Tsonga dress by Scalo Designer, but it was the grand finale gown that stole the show.
She donned a Juan William Aria masterpiece called “Hosikati,” meaning Queen in Tsonga.
“The radiant colours represent the vibrancy of our people and the beauty of our land. The gown was hand beaded and assembled by ten artisans and took more than 550 man hours to complete,” says Aria.
It would’ve been nice if she wore her hair in a high bun because that dress deserved all the glory. The curls she wore at Miss Universe didn’t allow the dress to shine the way it was supposed to.
Nonetheless, we also loved her preliminary gown, inspired by the rich soil of Nokeri’s village in Limpopo.
Aria says it took eight artisans and 462 hours to hand bead each individual bronze sequin, totalling more than 110 000 sequins on the gown.
Upon her return to South Africa, Nokeri will continue to fulfil her Miss SA duties, focusing on her Ed-Unite.
Stephanie Weil, CEO of the Miss South Africa organisation, says they are proud of her.
“We are incredibly proud of Ndavi and how she represented both us as an organisation and the country on a world stage. We believe that she did South Africa proud, and her performance was remarkable from start to finish. We look forward to welcoming her home where her Miss South Africa journey will continue.”