Mia Le Roux's National Costume Honours Dr Mahlangu's Artwork!

Mia Le Roux’s national costume was a love letter to diversity, courage and inspiring women. With a Dr Esther Mahlangu original in tow, her gown fittingly represented so much of what she stands for:

Global (02 December 2024) — Even though Miss South Africa Mia le Roux made the brave choice to step away from the Miss Universe competition, she still gave South Africa a lot to be proud of! Beautifully, her national costume reflected so much of what she’s become known for—diversity, courage and empowerment—all while honouring the legendary local artist, Dr Esther Mahlangu.

While Dr Mahlangu’s life’s work has made a move to the Wits Art Museum (with decades of creativity on display) one special piece adorned Mia as part of her national costume.

The design, crafted in collaboration with Hollywood Costumes SA and Africa Fashion International, was a gown of Ndebele flair with an Esther Mahlangu original incorporated into the look.

The Dr Mahlangu Gown

Said Mia about the national costume:

“My national costume is a tribute to the diversity that defines my heritage. In my spirit, in my environment, and in the abundance of creativity that is being created and shared by South African artists, I resonate with the bold, colourful, and vibrant expressions that reflect our complexity.”

Like the artistic trailblazer Dr Mahlangu, Mia knows what it means to want to break the barriers that marginalised communities face due to her hearing impairment. Some of these barriers were even the reason she decided to leave the Miss Universe pageant, which she bravely shared with South Africa.

“I am proud to be differently abled. And it is not enough to just open doors, but we need to have systems in place in order to foster true inclusivity,” Mia said.

Dr Mahlangu couldn’t have been a better artist for the task considering she spearheaded a new generation of art for South Africa, all while breaking barriers boldly and unapologetically and becoming the first female to achieve world-feats along the way. Her work has put Ndebele art on the map and has inspired everyone from young South African creatives to the likes of Alicia Keys and John Legend.

You can visit Dr Mahlangu’s lifetime exhibition ‘Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting’ until  2025 at the Wits Art Museum where over 100 artworks loaned from international collections are on display.

Sources: Miss SA Organisation  Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google.  Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories: Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.