Rich Mnisi wins Emerging Designer of the Year award

One of South Africa’s young top designer, Rich Mnisi has made the country proud after winning the Emerging Designer of the Year at the Essence Best in Black Fashion awards. 

The inaugural of Best in Black Fashion Awards kicked off on Wednesday, September 4, two days before the New York Fashion Week which is set to commence on Friday. 

Taking to Instagram to share the good news with his fans, Mnisi wrote: “ To win the Emerging Designer of the Year @essence Best in Black Fashion awards #BIBFA, where industry pioneers like @badgalriri, @theebillyporter, @patcleveland, @tongorostudio, @zerinaakers, @zendaya etc are recognized for the amazing work that they’ve done is truly humbling."

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To win the Emerging Designer of the Year @essence Best in Black Fashion awards #BIBFA, where industry pioneers like @badgalriri, @theebillyporter, @patcleveland, @tongorostudio, @zerinaakers, @zendaya etc are recognized for the amazing work that they’ve done is truly humbling. Thank you to @moanaluu for recognising me and following my work from inception. Thank you to my partners @bradleycockrell @woolworths_sa and @boschendalwines for being our co-pilots to open NYFW with Essence today. Even with tears running down my face from all the pain we face in South Africa, I am hopeful that we will come together as a people and create the world we want to live in. I promise to put the same energy I put into my design innovations, into creating sustainable innovations to protect our people. We need each other, it’s all we have. Also a big congratulations to my best friend @thebemagugu for winning the @lvmhprize, you have done it for us all.

A post shared by Rich Mnisi(@therichmnisi) on Sep 5, 2019 at 4:07am PDT

He has since been congratulated by his friends, including Trevor Stuurman. 

%%%twitter https://twitter.com/Essence?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EssenceEmerging Designer of The Year. 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/YdKKGpcYr7

— Trevor Stuurman (@trevor_stuurman)

In other news, Thebe Magugu also made South Africa proud by being the first African designer to win the LVMH Prize.