Project Runway is headed your way really soon!

Ndalo Media, the company responsible for bringing the franchise to life in South Africa made some key announcements recently, including the fact that fashion favourite Gert Johan Coetzee will be a mentor, and the resident judges for the show are none other than style icon Noni Gosa and  popular designer and creative director of Row-G, Rahim Rawjee.

The duo bring a  treasure trove of experience spanning retail, PR and fashion design which they will no doubt share with the contestants. Noni has also hosted a plethora of shows including Big Brother Africa, Media Matters, The M-Net Movies Show, Mzansi Magic’s reality model search, Diamond in the Ruff.  

South Africa’s very first version of Project Runway, brought to you by Mzansi Magic and Ndalo Pictures, in association with 4th Street Wine and production partner Rapid Blue held an exclusive reveal event to formally announce these new developments as well as the 12 talented contestants, introduced by the editor-in-chief of  Elle SA , Kelly Fung.

What’s Noni looking for from the contestants? According to the fashion authority (she has several degrees and tonnes of experience consulting for global brands, including  a Master’s in Luxury Business and an MBA in Luxury Brand Management) for her, creative, yet commercially appealing garments are key.

“I’m looking for originality, wear ability, commercial appeal and uncompromising quality,” she said. “Technical skill is important, of course, and so is having a sense of identity – knowing what you stand for and having a point of view. The most successful brands are firmly positioned in their purpose and craft a signature aesthetic that’s instantly recognised by the customer.”

And for Rahim? “In Project Runway, it’s more about the interpretation, or the use of fabrics in a specific design. I’m more interested in what you choose to do with the cloth rather than the cloth itself,” he says.

Described by Ndalo Pictures founder and CEO Khanyi Dhlomo, as the ‘ultimate dream team’ and ‘highly accomplished and incredibly engaging’ we look forward to watching the sizzling chemistry on our screens.

Find out more about the judges here and visit the Project Runway SA  Instagram for more pictures from the event.

Season 1 of Project Runway SA starts in July, on Mzansi Magic, channel 161 on DStv.