Benoni went to the Big Apple this week, when former Junior Miss South Africa Mathabo Matlou took to the runway for New York Fashion Week.
Mathabo, 17, took part in the Beauty It’s Everywhere fashion showcase featuring the Spring/Summer 2024 collection of designer Stacy Hogan, BUILT by Stacy.
The statuesque teen, who was crowned International Girl Teen 2023 in July, was among the 15 models selected for the catwalk in last night’s celebrity runway show.
“I was first scouted by the director of International Girl South Africa,” Mathabo told the Sunday Times. “I then went on to represent South Africa for the national competition in the US, and after winning the pageant, I’ve made wonderful friends and the doors keep opening.”
Accompanied by her mother, the 1.75m-tall Benoni native has been on a nonstop schedule in New York City over the past few days with fittings, rehearsals, meetings, makeup and hair styling.
“I really wanted to go around like a local, so my mom and I took the subway – with four huge bags - as we had to move hotels from Queens to Manhattan and that was quite an experience,” she laughed.
Her publicist and agent, Aysha Tshose, met the young model in 2022 and was impressed.
“Mathabo is a gem in the way she articulates, especially for someone so young. Her communication skills are exceptional and her vibrant light and energy stood out from the rest. She ticked all the boxes — brains, beauty, authenticity — and I knew that she would be able to compete and represent South Africa at an international level.”
Mathabo’s interest in fashion and beauty began at the age of six.
“As a young girl, I was always putting on my mom’s makeup, and I loved dressing up and wearing her heels,” she said.
One of the highlights of winning the pageant in July was the gift of a special meal prepared for Mathabo by chef Vusani Nkosi, personal chef to Nelson Mandela.
“I was so humbled and honoured that chef Nkosi, someone who cooks for world leaders and A-list celebrities, cooked for me and my family in the comfort of my home. The experience was unforgettable and it was such a unique gesture to wish me good luck for New York Fashion Week.”
Her mother, a government office worker at the National Home Builders Registration Council, and father, an optometrist, have helped her navigate her burgeoning career.
“Since I’m too young to drive, my parents have been incredibly supportive and they take me to every casting, competition, media interview and photo shoot. Even my brother, who’s 22 and studying, is my best friend and mentor.”
I want to see myself in Vogue one day
— Mathabo Matlou
But the world of modelling and pageants has not always been easy. “Pageantry is constant competition. It’s not a fashion show or a photo shoot — it’s a competition and so you need to be comfortable with being scrutinised at every angle. I think back to the first three years of me starting modelling, when I was eight years old — I had never won or placed in a competition. Back to back, over and over, I would never win. It took a toll on my confidence, you start thinking there’s something wrong with you.
“Winning this first international pageant finally gave me the confidence that I have the ability to be successful in a foreign land.”
The grade 11 pupil, who used to attend St Dunstan's College in Benoni but is moving to an online learning institution next month,
is passionate about her platform as an ambassador for Always sanitary pads alongside the Footprints Foundation and the Pad A Girl organisation, helping to donate sanitary products to underprivileged schools.
“I’m very passionate about [ending] period poverty. I want girls to have the freedom of not feeling stressed about their monthly cycle and needing to stop going about their daily routines like going to work or school.
“I will always be grateful that I was chosen as a young girl from South Africa to represent my country on a global stage. Never in my life would I have ever thought that my first formal runway show was going to be in America. So, I’m going to keep dreaming big. I want to see myself in Vogue one day, and I hope to return to New York Fashion Week every season.”
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