Noni Gasa: The South African style icon elevating fashion and nurturing young talent
Noni Gasa is an influential figure in South African fashion media, PR, luxury brand consulting, and fashion design education through her involvement with the Design Academy of Fashion. The multi-hyphenate has a Master's in Luxury Business and believes SA fashion will reach global status if education focuses on nurturing business-minded talent. Noni told SowetanLive in 2019:
We need to groom a whole generation of business owners, very different to the type of education that you would provide to an economy or workforce that is employed.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Noni Gasa has built a multi-faceted career as a television presenter, print media editor, PR strategist, academic leader, and luxury brand consultant.
- Noni hails from a prominent KwaZulu-Natal family that includes her late dad, businessman Nhlanhla Gasa, and her older sister, former Miss South Africa Mbali Ngqula.
- Noni Gasa is nurturing the next generation of fashion designers as co-owner of the Design Academy of Fashion in Cape Town.
Noni Gasa's profile summary
Full name | Nonhlanhla "Noni" Gasa |
Year of birth | 1982 |
Place of birth | Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
Place raised | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal |
Nationality | South African |
Ethnicity | Mixed Zulu, German, and Jewish |
Religion | Christian (Catholic) |
Parents | The late Nhlanhla Gasa (Father) Sinenhlanhla 'Sne' Gasa (Mother) |
Siblings | Mbali Ngqula, Andile Gasa, and Mphumelelo Gasa |
Education | University of Johannesburg (BA Journalism) Polimoda Istituto (Master's in Luxury Business) IFA Paris (MBA in Luxury Brand Management) Durban Girls College |
Profession | Designer, stylist, television presenter, model |
Noni Gasa's biography
The style icon was born in 1982 in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and was raised in a Catholic family in Durban. Noni Gasa has mixed ethnicity and considers herself a hybrid Zulu girl with German and Jewish ancestry.
Noni Gasa studied at Durban Girls' College and later obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Johannesburg. Between 2013 and 2015, Noni completed a double master's programme in Italy and China.
She obtained her Master's in Luxury Business at the Polimoda Istituto in Florence. Noni simultaneously earned her MBA in Luxury Brand Management from the prestigious IFA Paris, Shanghai campus.
Source: Original
Noni Gasa's parents
The fashion icon hails from a business-oriented Durban family. Noni Gasa's mother, Sinenhlanhla 'Sne' Gasa, previously worked as a nurse before transitioning into a businesswoman.
Noni's late father, Nhlanhla Gasa, was a prominent KwaZulu-Natal businessman, academic, and political associate. Nhlanhla, who was a friend of President Jacob Zuma, co-owned Gasa & Associates and held several top executive roles at major companies including Tongaat Hulett Group, Umgeni Water, and Absa Bank.
Noni Gasa's parents divorced in 2006 after 20 years of marriage. The relationship reportedly broke down because of Nhlanhla's affair with another man. The businessman's sexuality made tabloid headlines after his death.
What happened to Noni Gasa's father?
Nhlanhla Gasa was murdered on March 26, 2013, at his luxury home in Umhlanga, Durban. He was 62. The police arrested Mbulelo Arthur Ntlauzana, a 25-year-old waiter, after Gasa's body was discovered in the Tulega River.
Ntlauzana had reportedly stabbed Nhlanhla multiple times, dumped the body in the river, and burnt the victim's Jaguar XF that he used to move the body. The waiter pleaded guilty to charges of murder, robbery, and malicious property damage.
In his plea statement, the accused alleged that the senior Gasa made unwanted sexual advances toward him, leading to the fatal stabbing. In April 2013, the Durban Regional Court sentenced Ntlauzana to 30 years in prison, including 20 years for murder and 10 years for robbery and malicious property damage.
Noni Gasa's siblings
The television personality grew up with three siblings, including one sister, Mbali Ngqula, and two brothers, Andile Gasa and Mphumelelo Gasa. Mbali Ngqula was crowned Miss South Africa in 1997. Noni Gasa's sister married former South African Airways CEO Khaya Ngqula in 2005.
Who is Noni Gasa's husband?
Gasa is known for putting a tight lid on her personal life, and she has not publicly revealed whether she is married. She was previously in a high-profile relationship with Kwaito star and pastor Kabelo Mabalane in the 2000s.
Noni Gasa and Kabelo's romance resurfaced in the tabloids in 2021 after the Kwaito star confessed to previously being a perpetrator of gender-based violence as part of an anti-GBV campaign. Mabalane did not name his victim, but netizens speculated he was referring to Noni, who is alleged to be partially deaf because of the abuse.
Noni Gasa's media and PR career
Noni began her career as a television presenter in 2003 at the age of 20. The KwaZulu-Natal native became a household name in South Africa and across Africa as a host on highly-rated programs such as M-Net Movies Show, Big Brother Africa, Diamond in the Ruff, Nokia Face of Africa, and Media Matters.
Alongside presenting, Noni Gasa was an editor for major print publications. In 2004, she was a features editor at Media 24 in the lifestyle and cultural section. Noni then worked for Glamour Magazine from 2007 to 2010 as an Associate Editor. Gasa has also written contributions for Elle, Marie Claire, and True Love.
In 2012, Noni took a break from media to pursue further studies and build her corporate career. After her Master's, she became a Public Relations Manager for retail giant Woolworths and a consultant for various companies, including H&M.
Noni returned to television in 2018 as a resident judge on the inaugural season of Project Runway South Africa alongside fashion designer Rahim Rawjee. The series highlighted young designers showcasing their skills in fashion.
Noni Gasa's rise to a fashion and style icon
Noni emerged as a style icon in the early 2000s as her TV career was taking off. In 2005, she captured attention as the official face of South Africa Fashion Week with her signature shaved head and minimalist approach to fashion. SAFW founder Lucilla Booyzen said at the time that Noni was a perfect fit for the role because:
Noni is a refreshing beauty with a unique sense of style and sassiness. It is without a doubt that she reflects a fresh, trendy, go-getting and uniquely South African identity that embodies the spirit of SA Fashion Week.
The KZN native went on to win three South African Style Awards, including Most Stylish TV Personality and Best Dressed SA Personality. Noni also won Best Dressed TV Presenter for Sunday Times/ELLE Magazine Style Awards in 2005. As an SA model, she has graced the covers of Destiny, Joburg Style, and French Magazine.
Because of her extensive influence in fashion, Noni became a Fashion Media lecturer at the London International School of Fashion (LISOF, now STADIO School of Fashion) between 2010 and 2012. She also established the fashion and PR agency FashionFwd, which has worked with top clients such as Unilever and Ogilvy.
How Noni Gasa is shaping the next generation of fashion designers
Noni Gasa turned her passion for fashion and style into education to help aspiring young South African talent. Her advice for fashion design students is to:
Focus on the fact that they're not likely to be employed; they're likely to be business owners, and that needs a whole lot of support. Now we need to groom a whole generation of business owners.
Noni Gasa is a director and co-owner of the Design Academy of Fashion (DAF) in Woodstock, Cape Town. DAF was selected for the coveted Gucci Global Fellowship Program in 2019. When asked what inspired her to invest in a fashion design school, Noni told City Press in 2019:
I have deeply held optimism about the potential for African fashion to enter the global mainstream. But to compete at that level—designers need proper support at a foundational level. Investing in education felt like the most meaningful way that I could apply my experience to shaping the next generation of talent.
Noni Gasa created the Noni Gasa Bursary in 2019 to fund a three-year fashion course at DAF for underprivileged, talented young South Africans. The bursary's first beneficiary, Amanda Trom, launched the sustainable Pan-African streetwear brand, VNTU, which debuted at SA Fashion Week in 2023.
Where is Noni Gasa now?
The PR specialist has been keeping a low profile since she stepped away from mainstream television to focus on fashion design academia, luxury brand consulting, and philanthropy. Noni Gasa is not active on Instagram or other social media platforms. She previously revealed that she is not dependent on the spotlight.
Visibility has never been my measure of success: TV, fame, or social media. I'm just happy to be doing meaningful work, whether in private or public.
FAQs
- Who is Noni Gasa? She is a South African television personality, fashion icon, academic, and PR strategist known for being a judge on Project Runway South Africa and co-owning the Design Academy of Fashion.
- What is Noni Gasa's age? The fashion icon has not revealed her exact date of birth.
- What happened to Noni Gasa? Noni is focused on luxury brand consulting, academia, and public relations after stepping away from full-time television hosting.
- Is Noni Gasa deaf? Online rumours suggest she is partially deaf, but Noni has not publicly confirmed this.
- Is Noni Gasa married? No. The KwaZulu-Natal native has never tied the knot and keeps her love life out of the spotlight.
- Does Noni Gasa have children? Not known. Noni has not publicly shared her take on motherhood.
Conclusion
Noni Gasa embodies beauty with brains and has been at the forefront of transforming the South African fashion industry into a global competitor. Her legacy now lies in being a role model to the next generation of business-minded fashion designers. Beyond fashion, Noni remains an authoritative figure in corporate PR and luxury branding.
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Source: Briefly News
