Miss Malawi Organisation has organised a Fashion and Pageantry Masterclass to address knowledge gaps industry and equip local players with skills to explore opportunities within and beyond Malawi.
The three-day masterclass will be held from August 28 to 30 in Lilongwe and it is targeting girls, pageantry enthusiasts and industry players for training and mentorship.
The masterclass will feature Miss International First Runner-Up Yolanda Chimbarami from Zimbabwe, Miss Universe Zimbabwe 2025 Lyshanda Moyas and Miss Universe Zimbabwe national director Tendai Hunda.
It will cover catwalk and runway techniques, pageant preparation and presence, fashion and personal branding, professional modeling and brand ambassadorship among other areas.
Miss Malawi Organisation public relations officer Stephen Mdala said that the initiative seeks to give people in the industry an opportunity to learn from experienced professionals in international pageantry.
He said the industry still faces knowledge gaps with some players lacking a clear understanding of the different areas and roles within pageantry and fashion.
“There are knowledge gaps in the industry, including in the fashion industry and sometimes people do not differentiate the different aspects of the industry. So, we want to tackle that gap,” Mdala said.
He said that the organisation also wants to use the platform to build capacity of local players to think beyond Malawi and explore ways of making pageantry and fashion more exportable.
“We want to explore how players in these industries can think beyond local platforms to export pageantry and fashion products,” said Mdala.
Among others, the master class is also intended in empowering participants to use opportunities created through pageantry to make a wider contribution to society and the country.
“Girls who are courageous enough to take part in pageants have so much potential and we don’t want the road to end when a pageant end for them. They should be able to make an impact in the country and work on local and international projects,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mdala said the Miss Malawi 2026 pageant process took longer than expected due to technical challenges, including the organisation’s preparations for Malawi’s participation at Miss World.
However, he said with the Miss World now halfway through, the organisation is optimistic to shift focus to the local pageant with the names of applicants and audition dates expected to be announced soon.
Chimbarami, Miss International First Runner-Up also expressed excitement about travelling to Malawi for the master class and sharing their expertise with Miss Malawi queens and other pageantry enthusiasts.
In a Facebook post, she said that she was looking forward to empowering and impacting the participants and expressed in experiencing Malawian cuisine.
“I am so excited to be coming to Malawi to impact and empower the Miss Malawi Queens with my fellow sister queens and I can’t wait to try out you delicacies” read part of her post.
