Miss Universe hopeful Joubert out to succeed Zozi
Miss Universe SA Natasha Joubert has jetted off to Hollywood to participate in the 69th Miss Universe pageant, where she will be vying to succeed reigning queen Zozibini Tunzi.
The 23-year-old flew out of OR Tambo International Airport on Monday night.
The pageant is set to take place on May 16 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Natasha has her work cut out for her in the process of securing a double win for SA — only Venezuela has been able to achieve the feat when Dayana Mendoza and Stefanía Fernández won the crown in 2008 and 2009.
Having been crowned in December 2019, Zozi has become the longest-reigning Miss Universe because of challenges triggered by the Covid19 pandemic.
“My preparations started when I was crowned Miss Universe SA last year.
“I have been looking forward to this event from the moment of my crowning and will carry the Miss Universe SA title with pride,” Natasha said.
“I know that I have big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of both Zozi, Tamaryn Green (first runnerup in 2018) and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (Miss Universe 2017).”
Fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee has created Natasha’s famous national costume that she will rock on the international stage.
The fabric wings of her white creation have been printed with drawings from children hailing from Diepsloot and Randburg, both in Johannesburg.
The artwork narrates the preschool children’s personal journeys, and how their lives were affected by the pandemic.
“The children were amazing and came up with images that truly reflect the regulations of lockdown; some funny, others poignant and meaningful,” Natasha said.
“A number drew the usual preschool child’s image of the family, only the mom, dad and brothers and sisters were drawn far apart to show social distancing.”
Coetzee designed the national costume the year Nel-Peters won.
“We wanted to create something special and proudly South African.
“We not only created a garment to show off our skills and for dramatic effect, but it also had to be something truly meaningful and represent a cause close to Natasha’s heart,” Coetzee said.
“That is why we decided to take sketches from local children, to portray how they currently see the state of the world in their own words.
“We took their actual sketches, digitised them and printed them on white flowing fabric and created an angelic silhouette for Natasha to symbolise overcoming hardship through guidance.”
Jolandie Fouche of Jolache Couture also designed a number of evening looks for the pageant.
“Designing for a beauty pageant is very different from any other designs.
“Pageants are extremely competitive,” Fouche said.
“You have to make sure that your dress will make a lasting impression on the judges for all the right reasons, while complementing the contestant and accentuating her beauty and personality.”