South Africa has many enthralling exports. The wild varieties of wines in the Cape. The era-defining moves from amapiano beats and even the streets of Benoni that birthed our first Oscar-winning actress. But when it comes to fashion, it would seem the arid lands of the semi-desserts of Oudtshoorn in the Karoo are tickling the fancies of international stages and runways.
Although a controversial evening for sports fans, the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games was certainly a memorable one. Especially for the performance led by Applause singer, Lady Gaga, who dazzled viewers with a burlesque ode to Mon Truc en Plumes (My Thing With Feathers). The performance was made popular by French icon Zizi Jeanmarie and featured dozens of feathered pom poms, fans and headpieces that were sourced from South Africa.
As the mecca for all things ostrich feather and leather, Cape Karoo Internationals (CKI) team was blown away by the news that their plumes were part of the Grammy and Emmy-winning stars performance. We couldn't believe it. We saw them go from the boat to the big screen. And it was not just the star of the show, but it was also worn by the amazing dancers on the stage, said CKI MD Francois de Wet.
Lady Gaga in Paris in South African ostrich feathers
For De Wet, this puts a spotlight on their business, which promotes the success of local ostrich farmers. He explains that this is all possible due to the unique flocks found within South African that can produce enough eggs to get feathers that meet their market demand.
