Every girl's matric dance is one of the most memorable events of their teenage years, however, for Simoné Louwrens from Hoërskool Wesvalia in Klerksdorp, it was a time to honour the two most important men in her life - her late father and her grandfather.
Her dad, Riaan Louwrens died when she was only five-years-old, and her grandfather, Willie Louwrens, became the father figure in her life.
Her grandfather was a marketing manager for Coca-Cola, and his home was always filled with marketing material for the soft drinks company - which earned her father the nickname of “Klein Coke” and her grandfather “Oupa Coke”. She was nicknamed “Little Coke”.
To honour them both, she chose to wear a bright red Coca-Cola inspired dress accented with black butterflies for her matric dance.
She approached fashion designer Kobus Rautenbach in Klerksdorp to help her make her dream a reality and he did such a spectacular job that she took to social media to share the moment.
Simone posted the following tribute to her father and grandfather on her Facebook page.
"As a 5-year-old girl, I lost my dad. I loved him then and I still love him very much. While my dad was growing up, my grandpa worked for 45 years at Coca-Cola SA as the marketing manager. Because of that, my dad earned the nickname 'Klein Coke.' Coca-Cola has always been a part of my life. We always called my grandpa 'Oupa Coke' because there was always Coke in the house and all the Coke promotional material was everywhere, even in his mailbox. Since Coca-Cola is such a big part of our family, it was important for me to include my dad, who couldn’t be there, in the day.
“The butterflies symbolize something beautiful, change, and growing up. My butterfly earrings were bought for me by my grandma, who lives in Stilbaai, so she could be there from afar.
The Coca-Cola symbolizes the men in my life without whom I wouldn’t be who I am today: my dad (Riaan Louwrens) and my grandpa (Willie Louwrens).
Thank you very much, Mejandra, for the breathtaking photos and for the journey we have shared since I was in Grade 8."
IOL Lifestyle