Enhle Mbali bags first international award as a fashion designer

Actress and fashion designer Enhle Mbali is over the moon after she bagged her first international award as a fashion designer.

Enhle was awarded Best Designer Collection for her fashion line, Essie Apparel, at the weekend by Fashion Community Week in San Francisco, US.

Taking to Instagram to share the news, Enhle thanked her team and her fans for their support.

“I won my first international award for best designer this weekend in San Francisco! So proud of my team and thank you all for the support! Onwards and upwards, let's take up space.”

Speaking to SowetanLIVE about the win, Enhle said: “I had put a lot of work into the collection, so naturally I hoped that people, especially the local fashion community would appreciate Essie Apparel and go on to consider it as a formidable emerging brand into the scene.”

This is not the actress's first international recognition in the fashion industry.

Earlier this year, her fashion line made waves when it was featured in the January edition of the prestigious Vogue Italia magazine.

This after she debuted Essie Apparel at SA Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2020 in October.

“We're upwards and onwards. The beginning,” Enhle broke the news on Instagram at the time.

She also launched a maternity wear range, SE Preggoz, in SA and New York City in 2015.

In 2018, the actress and designer teamed up with local couture duo Quiteria & George to design a high-fashion dress for Beyoncé's performance at the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 concert in Johannesburg.

At the time, Enhle said she planned on growing her global success organically.

“I don't want to rush anything. I want to get on the international stage and really blow them away. Right now I am still in my development stages,” she told the Sunday Times in January.