She may have not won the competition but representing South Africa at the 14th edition of Miss Supranational was a win on its own.
Ayanda Thabethe participated in the Miss Supranational finals at Strzelecki Park Amphitheatre in Nowy Sącz, Poland, on July 14.
She made the Top 24, was named Miss Congeniality and placed in the Top 5 of #suprachat 2023.
The Pietermaritzburg-born star looked incredible in all her outfits. From the prelims to the finals, she slayed all her looks. Below are our favourites.
The water gown
Drawing inspiration from the South African waters, the turquoise gown she wore at the prelims looked elegant and classy.
“Ayanda feels spiritually connected to water, so we knew we needed to draw inspiration from water as it was so close to her heart. In both gowns, we played a lot with transparency and contrast.
“When Ayanda walked in the turquoise gown, we achieved the effect of crashing ocean waves. Our main goal with both the gowns was to be daring, bold and, most importantly, impactful,” said Juan Visser, the designer behind the exquisite dress.
The African sun
For her national costume, she wore a gold bodysuit with beaded fringes and a feather headdress that represented the African sun.
African prints
At the pageant finale, she wore an African-print dress by Khosi Nkosi and looked like the African queen she is.
Angelic
Thebethe looked like an angel in her final gown. Designed by Juan Visser, the white gown was inspired by the African sunlight.
“Ayanda’s final gown drew inspiration from our bright African sunlight.
“This gown was hand beaded by six artisans and took more than 200 hours to complete.
“Congratulations to our queen, you have laid your mark on a global stage and oozed so much light and confidence. South Africa will forever be proud of you, our ray of sunshine,” said Visser.
Thabethe congratulated Miss Supranational 2023 Andrea Aguilera of Ecuador, who was crowned by outgoing queen Lalela Mswane of South Africa.
“Congratulations to Andrea on her win. I wish her everything of the best during her reign, and I know she’s going to be a wonderful Miss Supranational. I also want to thank South Africans for their overwhelming support and wonderful messages.
“I have loved every minute of my Miss Supranational journey, and I hope I have made you all proud.”
The next pageant finale to look for is Miss South Africa 2023, which takes place on August 13 at the SunBet Arena at Time Square in Pretoria.