Mohalenyane Phakela
THE HOUSE of Onyx Model Management have lined up a fashion show at SZAH Restaurant and Lounge in Katlehong, Maseru as part of the launch of the modelling agency on 29 April.
Dubbed the Kaleidoscope Fashion Show, the event will also expose artistes from different sectors of the entertainment industry.
It will feature 10 local designers including the House of Thethane and Kermit Designs while entertainment will be provided by Mongali & Friends Live Band, DJ Spane, Trojan VDH, DJ Lym, and Dj Linah among others.
House of Onyx founder, Matili “Onyx” Taaso this week told the Weekender that the idea was to unite artistes and create a platform where they could be recognised.
“The initial plan was to launch House of Onyx through an intimate fashion show with a couple of fashion designers but others also came on board and I realised that the event could be bigger than I thought,” Taaso said.
“It also came to our attention that there was also a need for makeup artistes as well as photographers and so we brought them on board.
“With the teams from different sectors of our entertainment industry, we hope this will become an annual event that will grow to the level of South Africa’s Mercedes Fashion Week which designers and models look forward to every year,” she said.
House of Onyx has 12 female and eight models.
It is a model academy that aims to improve the modelling industry by training models in fields such as runway modelling, still photography, psychological preparation and lifestyle tutorials among other things.
Taaso said the event was sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and invitations had been sent out to the ministries of tourism, environment and culture as well as gender, youth, sports and recreation among other potential stakeholders.
“The local youth are currently faced with high rates of employment but with our talents we should be able to earn a living.
“We therefore invited different organisations and government ministries to come and witness the talents of Basotho in order for them to include us in their financial plans,” she said.
