A ‘new template for award shows' as fashion meets music at this year's Metro FM Awards
'We are creating a new template for how fashion and music can elevate each other in real time,' said show producer.
'This is not just a fashion show – it is a reimagining of what an awards ceremony can be,' fashion show producer Thabang Mapokgole. Picture: Supplied
Music plays a role in fashion shows by enhancing the experience of how a collection is received.
While people's outfits at music awards are more than just to be clothed, they are also a statement.
This year's Metro FM Music Awards (MMAs) will celebrate music's relationship with fashion as Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe's Africa Fashion International (AFI) hosts a fashion show on the MMAs stage this weekend.
ALSO READ: Dr Moloi-Motsepe's AFI opens search for the next great fashion designer
'This is not just a fashion show – it is a reimagining of what an awards ceremony can be,' said fashion show producer Thabang Mapokgole.
Fashion experience at Metros
Described as the AFI Fashion Experience, the fashion show will transform the MMAs stage into a runway.
Established by Moloi-Motsepe in 2007, AFI is an African luxury fashion company that has hosted exclusive fashion experiences in unique locations, including Joburg Fashion Week, Cape Town Fashion Week, and AFI Fastrack.
For the third consecutive year in the province, the MMAs will be held at Mbombela Stadium, in Mpumalanga. This will also be the final year for the MMAs at Mbombela Stadium.
AFI is the official fashion partner of the MMAs. It sponsors the Best Styled Artist award and the AFI MMA Black Carpet Experience, which will set the tone ahead of the ceremony.
ALSO READ: Jazz fans in for global musical journey at festival
A 'new template for award shows'
Mapokgole, a fashion and retail creative, said this move to have a runway on an awards stage is creating a new template for award shows.
'By bringing the AFI Fashion Experience to the heart of the MMAs, we are creating a new template for how fashion and music can elevate each other in real time,' said Mapokgole.
The show will feature the latest NALA | Privé collection alongside performances by nominated artists.
'The NALA | Privé collection will make a powerful statement about contemporary African aesthetics while honouring our rich sartorial heritage,' Mapokgole said.
ALSO READ: WATCH: A Gqeberha takeover in Mbombela as Metro awards announces latest hosts
The collection honours the tradition of Black Dandyism through contemporary, avant-garde designs that play with proportion, texture and cultural symbolism.
Designed by the AFI's in-house atelier led by the 2023/24 AFI Fastrack Prize winner, Loice Dube, the collection features bold colours, exaggerated silhouettes and meticulous tailoring that reference the Black Dandyism movement's history while pushing it firmly into the future.
The hosts
Broadcasters from Gqeberha, Luthando 'LootLov' Shosha, and Siyabonga 'Scoop' Ngwekazi will be the awards' main hosts on the night.
'I'm beyond excited to share the stage with none other than my homeboy, Siyabonga Ngwekazi,' said Shosha, who is popularly known as LootLove.
In 2024, LootLove held the same title but shared the stage with rap artists and broadcaster Tebogo 'Proverb' Thekisho.
'I'm thrilled to collaborate with Luthando for the first time, and I'm grateful to Metro FM for providing a platform for us to showcase our skills and talents,' the television presenter and cultural commentator said.
Dineo Ranaka and Hip-Hop artist L-Tido will host in the Green Room, interviewing winners as they step off-stage.
Actress, TV presenter, model, and rapper Anele Zondo and The Hustler Fix host Mpumi Mlambo will host the Black Carpet.
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