Gorgeous Mbali, Tino Chinyani & more - deets on their Durban July looks

Otiz Seflo lets us in on how Tanqueray Gin inspired his outfits for these celebs

02 July 2022 - 18:46
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Themba Gwejela and Gorgeous Mbali dressed in Otiz Seflo.
Themba Gwejela and Gorgeous Mbali dressed in Otiz Seflo.
Image: Supplied

From runway to red carpet, Otsile Sefolo, most known for his haute fashion brand Otiz Seflo, has been one of the most watched local designers. Which comes as no surprise that he was one of the most wanted for this year's Durban July.

Partnering with Tanqueray, the designer got to dress influencers Gorgeous Mbali, Pamela Mtanga and Sbahle Sithole as well as culinary king Themba Gwejela and model Tino Chinyani.

This year's Durban July was themed “show me the honey” which called for regal looks inspired by all things floral and gold. With Tanqueray launching its Blackcurrant Royal, the designer married the two through his designs.

“I tried playing around with the shape of the bottle and the accents you get from it,” said Sefolo, speaking of the looks worn by Mbali, Mtanga and Sithole.

“With Pam I went with white because the bottle leaves a clearness at the top which you can see with the crystal pearls. With Mbali I went with a deeper grape which I got from the actual colour of the alcohol when it's in the bottle.”

While the colours might be great as is, Sefolo was inspired to embody the colour of the alcohol in a glass for Sbahle's look.

“Once you put it in a mixer, the colour changes — it becomes lighter. It gives you a bit of a rose gold,” he said about his vision of capturing the different shades of the Tanqueray gin.

For the men's wear, Sefolo dressed Gwejela in a look that ties all the looks together through his chosen colours while Chinyani wore white with leather accents.

“I wanted more of a gentleman's look for Tino and I played around with leather to give it a more masculine feel.”

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