A Joburg-based businesswoman phoned Orapeleng Modutle in tears on her wedding day after the celebrity designer allegedly botched her R70 000 bridal dress.
Even after asking Modutle to fix her dress weeks before her big day, said Kim Mashego, the designer has still not done so a year later.
Mashego told Sunday World that she was treated poorly by the designer, who is popular for dressing stars including Bonang Matheba, Boity Thulo, Sarah Langa, and Pearl Modiadie because she is not a celebrity or an influencer.
“What hurts me the most is that R70 000 is not little money,” Mashego said.
“To these celebrities R70 000 might sound like R7 000, but to me it is like R70-million. That is why it hurts so much.
“I cannot pay so much money for such poor service and a dress I could not enjoy [wearing in public].”
Mashego approached Modutle of OM Style Avenue a month before her 12-year wedding vows’ renewal ceremony at her Limpopo home.
She said after visiting Modutle’s shop, she realised that the dress was not fitting properly at the back, and asked the designer to fix it.
After going back and forth with Orapeleng Modutle, the dress had still not been fixed a day before the ceremony, and her friends had to camp at Modutle’s shop until he had done the alterations.
When they arrived with the dress on the morning of the ceremony, it was too late for her to find an alternative, and had to wear it as it was for a photo shoot before taking it off.
“I called him and I was crying because he did not fix anything. My dress was very uncomfortable,” said Mashego.
“I had flown in a hairstylist to do an up-do hairstyle, but we had to change that in the last minute because I had to lay my hair down to hide the mess at the back of my dress.”
Still shedding a tear
Even though Mashego’s wedding took place in November 2022, she still sheds a tear whenever she relates the story.
“I feel like he ruined my day. If I was Bonang [Matheba] or some celebrity, he would have done a good job and went out of his way to fix the mess.
“Even after the wedding, he still had no time for me, and he still did not fix my dress.”
Mashego contacted Modutle again, who took in the dress and promised to fix the mess, but had not returned it to the owner.
When Sunday World contacted him for a comment, the celebrity designer listened to a list of questions and said: “I will contact her directly. Thank you. No comment.”
He had not contacted Mashego since our call on Monday and by the time of publishing.
