LOOKING TRASH. Inept Project Runway South Africa on Mzansi Magic announced Noni Gasa and Rahim Rawjee as judges on a Friday Evening - and couldn't bother to tell TV critics beforehand it would be doing so or invite them.

What a trash look: In a really badly done announcement party on Friday evening by Ndalo Media that doesn't bode well at all for Project Runway South Africa starting in July on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161), Ndalo revealed that Nonhlanhla "Noni" Gasa and someone called Rahim Rawjee will be resident judges on the reality competition show.

Khanyi Dhlomo's Ndalo couldn't be bothered to alert the South African media covering television or TV critics that there would be an announcement event or invite them - something that doesn't bode well for the Rapid Blue produced show on Mzansi Magic, that doesn't seem to want nor care for media buy-in from the press who will be covering Project Runway South Africa.

 Khanyi Dhlomo and her Ndalo Pictures rubbed the press the wrong way with Friday evening's glitz-mess announcement event that left journalists scrambling trying to find out what's going on (and what went wrong) - and why M-Net's Mzansi Magic and whoever is doing PR and publicity for Project Runway SA is apparently so trash-bad as to not being able to issue a basic alert to the media that there would be a Friday night lite announcement and interviews opportunity.

How really amateurish messy? On Saturday morning by 11:00 there was also no publicity image provided or available for Rahim Rawjee - the publicity material folder made available by Mzansi Magic for the press to use contained no images in the Rahim Rawjee folder.

The Project Runway format is held by the now notorious The Weinstein Company (TWC) and local licensing versions are shopped by FremantleMedia International's (FMI) FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) division.

Reneilwe Sema, the director of local entertainment channels at M-Net, who previously said that the show will "add value and variety to our content proposition".

It's probably also going to add bad press.

Sadly Ndalo Media, Mzansi Magic and The Project Runway SA people seem to have a very huge problem properly communicating with the media or knowing how to, which doesn't bode well for Project Runway SA's media coverage: experience has shown that usually when a show looks amateurly done and starts out trash, it stays trash.

Project Runway SA already added fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee as mentor and on Friday evening announced that the TV presenter Noni Gasa who doesn't have any solid fashion background experience, will be a judge on the fashion show.

While Noni Gasa is at least well-known to TV viewers - the people who Mzansi Magic, Ndalo Media and the Project Runway SA producers expect to consume and watch the show - the same can't be said for Rahim Rawjee who was also announced as a judge.

While Noni Gasa seemingly lacks any real fashion and design experience - she does have a MBA in "Luxury Brand Management" (whatever that means) - Rahim Rawjee who attended the International Academy of Merchandising and Design, apparently launched Row-G that Ndalo and Mzansi Magic describes in a press release as "Africa’s world-renowned, made-to-measure luxury menswear brand".

While Rahim Rawjee has a design and fashion background and experience, he's however not known to TV viewers. Will that be a problem on a show where viewers are supposed to have a level of trust in the so-called judges?

Khanyi Dhlomo, Ndalo Pictures Founder and CEO, says in a prepared statement - since journos couldn't do their own Q&A - that "Noni and Rahim are the ultimate dream team for Project Runway SA. They are both highly accomplished, incredibly engaging, and their chemistry absolutely sizzles."

That of course remains to be seen.

"It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of South Africa's first Project Runway," gushes Noni Gasa, whose TV-CV include things like Big Brother Africa and The M-Net Movies Show.

"It's an honour to be able to lend my voice to an exciting new wave of talent in this country and to be able to show young minds what’s truly possible – beyond the scope and scale of anything that’s ever been done before. It makes me excited to get up in the morning."

Rahim Rawjee also has a drop-in quote. "In Project Runway, it's more about the interpretation, or the use of fabrics in a specific design. I’m more interested in what you choose to do with the cloth rather than the cloth itself."

Well, South Africa's TV critics are now more interested in whether Project Runway SA on Mzansi Magic is going to be a success or going to go flopsies than the show itself.

It's already ironic that something that is about experience and looks, appears right from the outset as if it's unable to properly manage its own appearance and image.

Fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee added to Project Runway South Africa on Mzansi Magic as mentor.

Fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee has been added as mentor for the sewing reality competition Project Runway South Africa that will start in July on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161), produced by Rapid Blue productions and Ndalo Pictures.

Gert-Johan Coetzee's mentorship role on the show will be to keep the contestants to their deadlines and guiding their designs and fabric choices.

"I am utterly thrilled and honoured to be part of South Africa’s first version of Project Runway," says Gert-Johan Coetzee in a statement. "This means I will be at the forefront, helping to nurture the incredible talent we have in this country".

"The design schools may give you the knowledge and the skills, but the personal attention that comes with internships and Project Runway South Africa gives you the polish. And that's when the true stars shine."

"The competition is going to be tough, the expectations are going to be high. Don't bring anything less than your A-game!"

Ndalo Pictures founder and CEO Khanyi Dhlomo says "Mentorship is not only at the very heart of Project Runway, but at the heart of Ndalo Pictures too, so it was of utmost importance that we found the perfect mentor with all the right nuances."

"There's such an alluring sincerity about Gert. He's engaging, inspiring, passionate, boldly creative and wise beyond his years. He's the perfect fit."

BREAKING. 'Make it work': Project Runway SA reality show coming to Mzansi Magic on DStv; produced by Ndalo Pictures and Rapid Blue for broadcast from July.

"Make it work": A South African version Project Runway is coming to Mzansi Magic (DStv 161), with episodes of the designer competition reality show that will be broadcast on the channel from July.

Project Runway South Africa is the second of two new localised titles of well-known American reality shows that South African and African viewers haven't yet seen before.

M-Net's local entertainment channels division announced that month that it will be doing a South African version of The Real Housewives of ... for the rebranded 1Magic (DStv 103).

The Project Runway format is held by the now notorious The Weinstein Company (TWC) and local licensing versions are shopped by FremantleMedia International's (FMI) FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) division.

FMI already sold several seasons of the American version of Project Runway to M-Net with seasons broadcast on the M-Net, M-Net Series, VUZU Amp and Vuzu channels along with spin-offs like Project Runway Junior and Project Runway All Stars.

“Project Runway has done well internationally. We are excited to have the local version on Mzansi Magic," says Reneilwe Sema, the director of local entertainment channels at M-Net.

"As a channel we have successfully introduced scripted content and reality formats into the market. Project Runway SA will add value and variety to our content proposition".

Project Runway SA will be produced by Ndalo Pictures, the new TV and multimedia division of Ndalo Media that secured the licensing rights from FMI for a local version, and production partner Rapid Blue that is currently producing Dancing with the Stars SA for M-Net and did a new season of Come Dine with Me South Africa for BBC Worldwide South Africa.

“South Africa has impressive design talent that is absolutely ready for an international show like this,” says Khanyi Dhlomo, owner of Ndalo Media where magazines like ELLE and Destiny are going to be used to leverage interest in the local version of the TV show.

"It’s engaging, informative, enlightening and entertaining. It’s about talent, about mentorship, opportunity, and pushing creativity past all boundaries. We’re incredibly proud to be able to bring this show to our shores.”

In Project Runway South Africa, the finalists will have to prepare for the 2019 Paris Fashion Week in February 2019 with Edgars as the clothing sponsor and TRESemmé for hair.

Project Runway South Africa will face somewhat of an uphill climb. Designing reality TV shows in South Africa cater to a small niche audience and several other attempts have suffered from a combination of lackluster viewership and low ratings as well as scandals.

From 2006's The Cut South Africa to Raw Silk on SABC1 and most recently the scandal-riddled The Intern with David Tlale on SABC3, the local shows that suffer from rushed and bad production values have struggled to capture public viewers' attention and catch on in the way overseas ones do.

Last week David Tlale and the SABC shocked when the prizes of Kuena Moshoeshoe who was announced as the winner of The Intern in October 2017, were given to runner-up Keletso Moraba who was suddenly "crowned" the new winner following ongoing acrimonious in-fighting behind the scenes.

Entries for Project Runway South Africa will open on Monday 26 February.