Miss World 2014

This past week the annual Miss World pageant took place in London, where 122 ladies represented their countries for the prestigious title in the international competition. Last night, the final show was televised across the world, which placed 25 girls in its quarter-final, before narrowing it down to only five beauties for top finalists. And so, Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss, was crowned the winner & Miss World 2014!

The 22-year-old beauty took home the title as the third South African in the pageant’s history, following Penelope Anne Coelen & Anneline Kriel in 1958 and 1974 respectively. The Volksrust-native stunned earlier in the show donning her national costume designed by the Cape Town College of Fashion Design (CTCFD) that was inspired by the late Nelson Mandela. It featured multiple city & country flags as well as beaded fringing on the lower bodice and a multicoloured & embellished bodice with an image of Nelson Mandela in the middle, which she wore with a feathery and animal-accented headpiece. Later on, Rolene wore a hand-dyed mint green & silver swirl-patterned mesh gown gown embellished designed by Casper Bosman that was made with 13,000 Swarovski crystals and worn with a silver metallic mini crown. Then for the final show, she changed into a blush pink mermaid gown made from Italian Duchess and Silk Organza, also designed by Casper Bosman, with a tiered fishtail skirt and off-the-shoulders sleeves.

“South Africa is celebrating 20 years of democracy this year and I am a proud, born free citizen.” Rolene is a 4th year Medical student at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein and aspiring doctor, and praises her parents for the influence and interest in medicine. For her Beauty with a Purpose project, Rolene emphasized on keeping girls in school, specifically when going through their menstrual cycle. Health and education are Miss South Africa’s passions, so for this project it was a clear vision what she wanted to accomplish.