Fashion malfunction
Ona is forced to withdraw from Jozi Fashion Week after she designs the same dress as her boss Funani Zwide.
With the Jozi Fashion Week approaching, there’s excitement in the air at fashion empire House Of Zwide. The team of designers are selecting fabrics, casting models and pitching ideas for the big night. As for the interns, they’re tasked with creating a show-stopping piece for the event, and they’re eager to take on the challenge, particularly Ona (Nefisa Mkhabela). “The interns are coming to the end of their program, and Ona is desperate to impress her boss Funani Zwide (Vusi Kunene) as the intern with the most striking design will be hired full time. This is her moment to shine,” explains Nefisa. Initially, Ona struggles with piecing something together but after pulling an all-nighter, she designs a dress spectacular enough to impress Funani. “In a turn of events, an unlikely circumstance comes between Ona and her chances of showing her dress at Fashion Week…” reveals Nefisa. FATE OR COINCIDENCE? When Ona presents her design the next day, she and Funani realise that something is amiss. “Their dresses are exactly the same. They’re taken aback,” says Nefisa. It’s as though Ona and Funani copied each other. “The same colours, the same shapes – they can’t explain the uncanny resemblance,” adds the actress. It seems Ona was inspired by Funani’s old work, but there’s more to the story as the universe is playing tricks on them.
As it was revealed at the start of the show in July last year, Ona is Funani’s biological daughter and was abducted as a newborn by
Isaac (Jeffery Sekele), who raised Ona. The signs have been apparent that they’re related, and this is another case. “Funani and Ona don’t look into the matter, they think it’s just a coincidence,” says Nefisa. As they can’t display the same dress, Funani calls dibs on the design and Ona is told to withdraw. “Unsurprisingly, Ona is disappointed and she loses hope in her future in the fashion industry.” ANOTHER BLUNDER Ona could easily draw another dress in time for Fashion Week, but her friends encourage her to go against Funani. “She can’t fight because contractually, anything that Ona designs belongs to House Of Zwide. Her hands are tied,” says Nefisa. But there’s more drama on the way – her friends post photos of her dress on social media and a furious Funani fires her. “Now Funani can’t show his dress. He’ll have to come up with a new design too,” adds Nefisa.