Wernhil Shopping Centre, a property of Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group subsidiary, Broll Namibia, took over the first month of spring with the 2023 edition of their Wernhil Fashion & Lifestyle Extravaganza! Consisting of a shopper competition, a call-out for local models and various celebrations of style, the extravaganza culminated in a final Fashion Show in the atrium of the shopping centre on 30 September 2023.
The extravaganza started with the launch of the Shopper Competition which ran from 25 August to 26 September 2023 and gave entrants the chance to win a share of N$40,000.00, redeemable at any Wernhil store. Launched on the same day was Wernhil’s Model Competition which called out to aspiring models from the public to join the runway. Nine models were selected for what was truly the people’s runway, celebrating local modelling talent. Part of their prize as being the selected public models included professional modelling coaching from an experienced choreographer and show director. They also walked home with food products from fellow event sponsor, Pasta Polana.
On the day of the Fashion Show, with the energised Master of Ceremonies, Edward Ward at the helm, all public models sported looks from TFG Limited and received the added gift of being able to keep their outfits, sponsored by TFG. The public models strutted the runway in the following brands:
- Shaun Gereseb – Totalsports
- Willy Iteriteka – Sportscene
- Delight Makute – Exact
- Aquella Cloete – The Fix
- Magdalena Nangenda – Foschini
- Geraldine Heuer – Jet
- Elifas Lineekela – Relay Jeans
- Catherine De Klerk – Sportscene
- Mario Tjazerua – Markham
They were also joined by models from Diamond International who showcased looks in beachwear, sportswear, casual, smart casual and formal wear from Wernhil tenants: Big Daddy, Edgars, John Craig, Dunns, Legit, Milady’s, Exact, Fabiani, Foschini, Markham, Sportscene, The Fix, Relay Jeans and Totalsports.
A further highlight of the Fashion Show was another proud sponsor of the event, Top Score, showcasing a range of looks on the catwalk. These looks were designed by Diana from Graceys Collections using materials from Top Score packaging and were worn by, Nomvula, Rika Kandanga and Jean Pretorius.
With community involvement being key to Wernhil, another important dimension of the extravaganza was its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. For every Saturday from 2 to 30 September 2023, members of the public were invited to donate clothing items, toys, food products and toiletries towards care homes, schools and other charitable causes. The second phase of this initiative will be rolled out within the coming months with the beneficiaries receiving their share of the donations.
The entire extravaganza was a celebration of Wernhil tenants with Dis-Chem sponsoring the make-up for the models and Mr Price Home sponsoring the décor and stage design. Plenty of vouchers were handed out to members of the public at the Fashion Show which were also sponsored by Wernhil tenants along with the refreshments for the models and crew.
