Memorable Sojourn As Miss World ends her eventful short stay in Botswana
The stunning, and elegant, reigning Miss World 2022, Karolina Bielawska was in Botswana this past week. A first for a reigning Miss World queen to set foot in the country, this was a special occasion for the now former Miss World- Botswana, Palesa Molefe. The occasion was even more special as it happened during her reign, and had a rare chance to be part of that historic moment. Bielawska is the second queen from her home country of Poland to win Miss World. Next year, she will crown the 71st Miss World Queen, possibly a queen from Botswana.
A darling at the Miss World 2021 pageant, Molefe formed bonds with most of her peers, and has previously attended the Miss Zambia and Miss Ivory Coast finals where she was invited by her friends.
To pay homage to local designers, on Saturday at the Grand Finale of Miss Botswana 2022, Botswana’s darling in fashion, Delayna Melissa Scott showcased her intricate skills when she got to dress Bielawska in an original gown. On that particular night, friends and sisters, Molefe and Bielawska were looking like royalty. Incredibly, Miss World loved her gown so much that she has put in an order for a corset gown, which will be shipped to her.
Speaking on Thursday, during a Beauty Expo organised by the Miss Botswana, Bielawska who arrived in the country that Thursday afternoon, shared that she was seven months into her journey as Miss World. The opportunity, she explained, has afforded her to travel the world and experience other cultures as well as meet new people while leaving behind impactful footprints.
“It has been a unique journey,” she said, noting that she loved her reception at the Airport where she was welcomed by traditional dance and ululating women, which is something that she has never experienced before. She further said that wherever she went, she always wanted to leave something behind, working with children and doing charity work for her Beauty with a Purpose project.
Giving the aspiring queens a word of encouragement, she shared with them that for those who will not win, they must remember that rejection is God’s protection.
“Don’t take it as a failure, you will be closing something and opening something,” she added. For Molefe, this was something that she will cherish for years. She explained that all of this was made possible by the personal relationships that she had with other queens at Miss World. “This is the first time for Miss World to come to Botswana and it shows that we have the world come to us. I am happy that it happened on my reign,” she said.
Sharing the journey of how she got to dress Miss World, Delayna explained that she got a call two days before her arrival from the Miss Botswana organisers. She did not have any brief, and she requested to be sent measurements. It was then that her creativity kicked in. She did a little research on her page, Miss World, to see what colour and neckline she has not worn. And that is where she got her inspiration.
A genius when it comes to the design process, she explains that she came up with the gold and that particular corset silhouette. The queen fitted the gown the following day, after her arrival. “I was a bit nervous but she loved her dress and material used so much. She was very happy,” she explains.
As for Molefe, she points out that over time, since she took over making her official gowns, it has been an easy process. She points out that Molefe is not a person who experiments with colour in general, and is more into earthy tones, but that during their working journey, she has managed to convince her to try new things. “Pink was the colour that we have not used, and I felt that she was going to stand out in it. I told her of the colour but she had no idea about the design. And that has been the case with all of her dresses, which she only gets to see, when she comes for fitting,” she explains.
She explains that both ladies came for fittings the same time. And like Bielawska, Palesa loved her gown too.
“We have been consistent with corset silhouettes for all of her gowns, and she loved it. I was happy that both ladies loved their dresses.
Miss World ordered a Corsetry gown for she says that she has never worn a corsetry dress, and as such loved it,” she explains, pointing out that since Miss World was only in the country for a short stay, the gown will be shipped to her.
As she has always done with her work, for this historic occasion, she engaged her personal photographer, Nhlanhla Ncube of Untamed Visuals to capture the ladies in the gowns prior to the Grand Finale. The photoshoot took place at Cresta Lodge, where the ladies were staying.
“This was solely done so that I have proper profiling pictures, and also Ncube understands my work and shoots it so well,” she explains.