Opinion piece: What is wrong with our red carpets?

As our red carpets become more and more confusing, we take a look at what the problem could be

By  | Jun 22, 2020, 01:46 PM  | Fashion

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What the heck is wrong with our red carpets

When you hear the words “red carpet,” what comes to mind?

Glamour? Opulence? Style? Evening Gowns? Tuxedos? Breath-taking designs?

Then, when you hear the words, “South African red carpet,” what comes to mind?

Well, by the looks of things, clearly nothing good.

Time and time again, we are confronted with a group of people who look like they all dressed up for different events but they just so happened to end up in the same place. Even when the event has a theme, our people still manage to miss the mark.

So what could the problem be?

Could it be local designers and their tendency to hoard celebrities once they get the opportunity to work with them?

Or could it be our very own celebs and their rumored resistance to paying stylists for their services?

The problem doesn’t seem to be an Africa-wide problem as evidenced by the yearly slayage that goes on at the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards currently hosted in Nigeria.

In addition to having an innate sense of style, Nigerian tailors and designers seem to have the red carpet on lock. If only we knew what their secret was so we could dilute the formula and come sprinkle it all over our local red carpet like a magical fabreeze of sorts.

This inability to compete with the best of the best makes it easy for the masses to pick their most stylish at every year’s red carpet event.

It’s not like red carpets are new to SA.

So, for those of you famous faces with a flair for this fashion thing, research guys and dolls.

For the designers who know they’re great but just need that ONE break, never stop reaching out to celebrities. They clearly need you. The same goes for the stylists that have all the connects and know their talent.

Because you see, a celebrity is a brand so image is everything to them and what good is a squeaky clean image when we can’t see past your dirty shoes on the red carpet? If you didn’t want to be judged based on your appearance, you chose the wrong industry honey.


Main image credit: Instagram (Austin Malema)

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