South African Fashion Awards honour Mzansi’s top style icons

Lights, cameras, fashion! The 2026 South African Fashion Awards were held on Saturday, 3 October 2026, celebrating some of the country’s most hardworking, dedicated, and stylish fashion contributors.

The second edition of the awards ceremony was a night of iconic looks, excitement, and appreciation.

Here is a roundup of the night’s winners.

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Best Fashion Icon

TV host and media personality Kim Jayde won the Best Fashion Icon award.

Jayde is known for her vibrant personality and well-styled fashion. In her acceptance speech, the TV host expressed gratitude to the local fashion industry, adding:

“I’ve been wearing local, and so nothing in my life would have been possible without the incredible designers that chose to support me and believe in me and dress me when I could not afford to wear you guys,” she said.

Best Fashion Designer

Palesa Mokubung was recognised as the best fashion designer of 2026. The designer is the first African designer to collaborate with Swedish fashion company H&M. She is a multi-award-winning designer and globally recognised for her colourful, vibrant, and patterned designs.

Mokubung has won an international award at the Fashion Forward International Thessaloniki show in Greece. She has also won a Fashion and Innovation Award at the Mbokoko Women in the Arts Awards.

Best Stylist

Lethabo Motlale has been awarded Best Fashion Stylist of the Year. Motlale is the country’s leading fashion stylist, having worked with international brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Toyota, Pepsi, and Disney. The stylist has been in the industry for nearly a decade and has proven himself a creative visionary.

Best Fashion Influencer

Kefilwe Mabote was recognised as the best fashion influencer. Mabote is a multi-award-winning influencer, author, and reality TV star. She has made a sizeable contribution to fashion as an influencer, distinguishing herself as a leading figure in the South African fashion landscape.

Best Emerging Fashion Designer

Tebogo Selebi won Best Emerging Fashion Designer. He founded the luxury Afro-luxe fashion and lifestyle brand IDAYIMANI. The designer was recognised by Forbes for redefining scalable African luxury by blending artistic design with structural business systems.

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Best Make-up Artist

Fanyana Maseko is an internationally recognised make-up artist who has been awarded Best Make-up Artist of the Year. Maseko is a senior artist at MAC Cosmetics and has worked with South African celebrities, including Kell Khumalo and Khabonina.

Best Fashion Photographer

Fuaad Abdool was recognised as the best Fashion Photographer at the award ceremony. His diverse background in modelling, styling, and even data engineering has informed his photography skills in unique ways.

The photographer has worked with fashion designers like David Tlale.

Best Hairstylist

Kelvin Takudzwa is a celebrity hairstylist, having worked with celebrities such as Thuso Mbedu, Tyla, Nani Madida, and with media publications such as Glamour.

Best Female Model

Lwandle Ngwenyana has been awarded the 2026 Best Female Model award. The model is also a jeweller and athlete running track. The 2023 Miss Bachlorette has contributed widely to SA fashion, walking runways such as SA Men’s Wear Week and has worked for brands such as Essence Cosmetics.

Best Male Model

Bethel Sanza is an artist, model, and athlete who has modelled for the Gucci x Dossier editorial.

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