Fashion
Who Runs the Fashion Game? Bonang Matheba or Pearl Thusi?
South African fashion has its icons. And then it has Bonang Matheba and Pearl Thusi, women who don’t just wear clothes, rather they shape conversation, ignite trends, and walk into a room like the moment belongs to them. These aren’t just celebrities with good taste. They’re fully-fledged style personalities, each commanding their own lane, and fiercely so.
But if we’re asking who really runs the fashion game? That’s a loaded question. The answer depends on what you’re looking for in a fashion queen. And more importantly, whose style speaks to you. So let’s unpack their style.
Bonang Matheba: Clean. Commanding. Consistent.
Bonang Matheba
When Bonang shows up, she looks like she’s dressed for the boardroom and the red carpet at the same time. Her style is unmistakably refined. She leans into structure: coats that know their shape, gowns that understand drama without noise, heels that mean business.
Bonang’s fashion is rarely chaotic. She doesn’t do too much. In fact, her power lies in the way she edits. It’s always the right dress, the right shoe, the right bag. Not one extra thing out of place. And that kind of quiet confidence? That’s what makes her unforgettable.
Over the years, we’ve seen her go from pageant-style gowns to designer power suits and custom evening looks that would hold their own in Paris or Milan. Her taste has matured, and she’s embraced her own fashion identity. Think muted tones. Rich fabrics. Timeless shapes. Bonang doesn’t chase trends, she commits to taste, and it shows.
Bonang Matheba
Pearl Thusi: Wild. Bold. Unapologetic.
Pearl Thusi
Pearl, on the other hand, brings fire. Not the burn-everything-down kind, the spark, the heat, the unpredictable glow. Her style is emotional. Some days she’s glam. Other days she’s in a corset, cargo pants and combat boots, serving energy that says, “I don’t follow rules, I bend them to fit me.”
There’s a rugged softness to how Pearl dresses. She’ll wear a dramatic gown with an afro puff. She’ll show up in streetwear and still make it fashion. She mixes elegance with toughness, often in the same look, and it works because it’s real. She dresses like she’s telling a story. And no two chapters look the same.
What makes Pearl stand out is her fearlessness. She takes risks, some hits, some misses, but you never get the sense that she’s dressing for applause. She dresses like someone who knows herself, and isn’t afraid to change lanes when the mood shifts.
Pearl Thusi
Same Game, Different Plays
Bonang and Pearl couldn’t be more different in how they express style. But they have one thing in common, they both understand that fashion is more than clothes. It’s how you carry yourself. It’s the attitude. Energy. Presence.
Bonang is the woman you call when the dress code says “excellence only.”
Pearl is the one who rewrites the dress code entirely, and still gets a standing ovation.
Let’s take you back a bit to the time when they both almost gave us all a heart attack from heavy fashion.
Let’s start with Pearl Thusi, aka Mama Panther, aka the woman who can give you soft glam one day and full-on high-fashion villain the next. In this particular look, Pearl stepped out like a character straight out of a billion-dollar heist film, the lead, of course. She’s dressed in a glossy crocodile-textured two-piece set in a shade of green that doesn’t whisper “luxury” it screams it. Not emerald, not lime, not neon. Money-green. The kind of green that tells you, I don’t chase, I attract.
She layered it with a dramatic fur coat casually draped over her arms like it’s just another Tuesday, then topped it off with fierce stilettos, bold sunglasses, and the kind of confidence you simply can’t borrow. Standing in front of a matching luxury sports car, it’s clear this look was no longer outfit alone but power play.
Pearl Thusi
Now, enter Bonang Matheba, the woman who’s been eating up red carpets. There’s something about Bonang that says she doesn’t just dress for the occasion, she is the occasion.
In this maroon moment, she gave us head-to-toe luxury without a single word. Wearing a sculpted leather mini dress and a matching oversized trench, both in that deep, wine-red Gucci croc texture. Bonang made minimalism feel expensive. The monochrome pairing, the pointed heels, the compact handbag in the exact same tone, this was precision styling. She didn’t over-accessorize. She didn’t need to. With her sleek hair, gold earrings, and black sunglasses, she looked like the boss lady who owns the building, not just someone attending the event.
Bonang Matheba
So Who Really Runs It?
It depends. Are you drawn to elegance that’s been fine-tuned and perfected over years? Or does the wild beauty of unpredictability pull you in?
If you value consistency, clean lines, and couture clarity, you’ll probably say Bonang.
If you live for spontaneity, statement dressing, and fearless flair, your vote might go to Pearl.
But here’s the truth: South African fashion needs both. It thrives because of both. And maybe, just maybe, the real flex is that they’ve never tried to be each other.
Read Also: Bonang Matheba Embraces a New Age with Style and Gratitude
Bryoni Govender has joined a South African creative project in Jaipur, India, as part of the 2026 Art of Collaboration. The project brings together fashion, beauty, jewellery, design, film and photography under the theme Heritage in Dialogue, Luxury Redefined.
Founded by South African designer Stephen Van Eeden, the Jaipur edition places South African creative work alongside the city’s established traditions of craftsmanship, textiles, jewellery and architecture.
Photo: PR
Govender’s involvement also reflects her own South African and Indian heritage. That connection is explored in Where I Belong, a fashion film directed by Paula Zapata, with Maropeng Vushangwe as director of photography. The film forms part of the wider Jaipur project.
Van Eeden led the creative direction, while fashion and lifestyle photographer Christine Le Roux captured the still images. Tanya Vos worked on make-up and Carissa Bosman handled hair styling in Jaipur, with Marlene du Toit contributing to the hair work at Lanzerac in South Africa.
Photo: PR
The project includes South African brands and creative businesses across beauty, fragrance, eyewear, fashion and hospitality. The Leela Palace Jaipur and Lanzerac Hotel & Spa are also part of the project.
The Jaipur edition follows previous Art of Collaboration projects in New York in 2019, Cape Town in 2020, Paris in 2022 and Marrakech in 2024. The 2026 edition was unveiled on 10 September with the premiere of the project film and documentary trailer, alongside presentations of the work created for the Jaipur chapter.
For Govender, the project follows her previous use of fashion to explore her heritage. In 2023, when she represented South Africa at Miss Universe, her national costume drew from Indian and African influences, combining a sari-inspired design with Zulu beadwork and an Ndebele-inspired pattern. Govender described the outfit as a reflection of her two heritages.
Photo: PR
She also spoke about her changing approach to fashion in a 2024 interview with TrueLove, saying she was still learning what suited her in terms of colour, texture and shape. She discussed moving away from darker clothing and becoming more comfortable with colours that complemented her skin tone.
Her appearance in Jaipur brings those elements together in a project that places South African creative work in an Indian setting, while using fashion, film and photography to explore heritage and identity.
Gert-Johan Coetzee has launched his first retail boutique in Johannesburg. This will allow customers a permanent space to shop his designs. The place is located at the Winifred Mandela Precinct at Nicolway Shopping Centre in Bryanston.
The designer is known for his red-carpet creations and celebrity dressing. Customers can shop ready-to-wear pieces from the latest collection. It also carries limited-edition accessories and merchandise created for the Bryanston location. One of the additions to the store is the designer’s Ndlovu luxury handbag range. The bags are available in-store and on demand.
Photo: Instagram/@GertJohancoetzee
The store also stocks Coetzee’s fragrance collection. The range consists of six fragrances which are Gimme Gimme, Eau de Trouble, Rumours & Roses, Top Secret, Shhhh and Uncontainable. The designer draws inspiration from fashion career and his experiences in Grasse, France.
Read Also: 8 Female Designers Leading the Way in Fashion
The fragrance collection was introduced to South African shoppers in August through a retail collaboration with TFG, with a launch at Foschini in Sandton City. According to Ofentse Marobane, Head of Retail at Gert-Johan Coetzee :
“Our goal with the private shopping experience is to offer clients an intimate, elevated environment where they receive our complete and undivided attention,”
Photo: Instagram/@GertJohancoetzee
The new boutique has been designed to match the look of the fashion house. The interior uses marble and other premium stone surfaces, with aubergine accents. Clothing is displayed as part of the store’s interior design.
Opening hours are from Monday to Saturday between 9am and 6pm. On Sundays and public holidays, they open from 9am to 3pm.
Photo: Instagram/@GertJohancoetzee
The new boutique brings Coetzee’s fashion, accessories and fragrance offerings together under one retail destination.
The new retail space offers direct access to Gert-Johan Coetzee’s collections without relying on external stockists. It also gives the designer a physical presence in the city as his brand continues to grow.
Precious Moloi-Motsepe has built a career spanning medicine, fashion, business and philanthropy, but her strongest influence on South Africa’s fashion industry has come through African Fashion International (AFI), the organisation she founded in 2007.
AFI was created to promote African designers and give them access to platforms beyond the traditional fashion show. Over the years, it has grown to include fashion weeks in Johannesburg and Cape Town, designer development, retail, international showcases and industry partnerships.
Photo: Getty Images
One of its key initiatives is the AFI Fastrack programme, which supports emerging designers with business development, mentorship, networking and market exposure. Its alumni include South African designers Thebe Magugu and Rich Mnisi, who have since built international careers. The programme reflects Moloi-Motsepe’s focus on the business side of fashion, giving young creatives tools to develop brands as well as collections.
That approach has helped position fashion as more than a creative pursuit. AFI has consistently placed emphasis on the commercial realities facing designers, including production, marketing, business management and access to markets. Moloi-Motsepe has also spoken about the challenges facing South Africa’s clothing industry, including production costs and limited manufacturing infrastructure.
Photo: Simon Deiner / SDR
Her influence reaches into beauty and lifestyle through the broader fashion platforms AFI has developed. Its events bring together designers, stylists, musicians, celebrities and beauty professionals, placing clothing alongside hair, make-up and entertainment. AFI’s work around major events, including the Metro FM Music Awards, has further connected fashion with South Africa’s music and entertainment industries.
The international side of her work has also expanded. In 2025, AFI was involved with Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition exploring Black dandyism and its history. AFI also co-hosted Afro Dandy: Tailored for Africa with Harvard’s Center for African Studies in New York, extending the conversation around African fashion beyond the continent.
Photo: Getty
Back in South Africa, AFI continues to provide platforms for established and emerging designers through fashion events, retail initiatives and collaborations. The organisation has also developed its own fashion ventures, including NALA Privé.
Moloi-Motsepe’s business interests extend beyond fashion. Through the Motsepe Foundation, which she co-founded with Patrice Motsepe, she has been involved in education, entrepreneurship, community development, sport, music and leadership programmes. The foundation has also supported bursaries and initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for young people.
Photo: Getty
Her career is therefore less about designing clothes herself and more about building the structures around those who do. Through AFI, she has spent almost two decades connecting African designers with audiences, industry professionals and commercial opportunities.
That has made her work relevant across fashion, beauty and business. The clothes may be what audiences see first, but Moloi-Motsepe’s contribution has largely been behind the platforms, programmes and partnerships that help African creative businesses grow.
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