Nkhensani Manganyi | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South African |
| Occupation(s) | Actress and fashion designer |
Nkhensani Manganyi (also known as Nkhensani Nkosi) is a South African-born actress and fashion designer.
In 2000 Manganyi started the fashion house Stoned Cherrie. [1] The company developed a high profile in South Africa for its use of images of apartheid-era heroes as a recurring motif in its designs of T-shirts and cutaway tops. [2] One of the company's better-known T-shirt designs featured cover from the magazine Drum with the face of the anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko, murdered by the state security forces in 1977, whose face remains a powerful political symbol of the resistance movement to apartheid. [3]
Her work also includes eyewear and upholstery. [4] She has travelled through Africa as a spokesperson for diversity in African fashion. [5] An image of Manganyi, as Nkhensani Nkosi, working in her Johannesburg studio is included in the book The Language of Fashion Design as an example of how designers develop their collection. [6] Some of Nkosi's work was exhibited at the Fashion Institute of Technology as part of the exhibition Black Fashion Designers from December 2016 to May 2017 [7] [8]
Manganyi's film acting credits include Legend of the Hidden City , Tarzan: The Epic Adventures and Kickboxer 5 .
In 2003, Manganyi was a judge on the South African run of the television series Popstars . She commented at the time: "In the past the criticism that (Popstars) is heavily American influenced could be relevant, but I think our new format has helped to change that." [2]