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Close family and friends of internationally acclaimed fashion designer Quiteria Kekana will gather for a candlelight vigil at his Melville studios on Wednesday night. The 38-year-old passed away at his home in Melville on Sunday, following a battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. He will be buried in Johannesburg on Friday morning.
A statement by the Kekana family read:
Kekana and his partner George Malelu broke into fashion in 2014 when they introduced their bespoke luxury garments on the red carpet by dressing stars such as rapper Boity Thulo, actress-turned-businessperson Dineo Langa, actress Zinhle Mabena and radio host Thando Thabethe.
The pair hit the big time when their line Quiteria and George was selected to design a dress for megastar Beyoncé Knowles for her last performance at the Global Citizen concert in 2018.
READ: Copied stitch for stitch: Quiteria Kekana accuses designer of replicating his work
Following the pair’s split in 2019, Kekana went on to open his own line, Quiteria Atelier, where he continued working with stars for their red carpet looks.
Kekana was diagnosed with cancer in 2021 and took time off from his design work to focus on healing. In an interview with True Love magazine at the time, he said his cancer affected his business.
“I had to get 28 tests done plus start going for chemotherapy. I’ve lost business and my employees and their families depend on me to help out,” he explained.
The designer partnered with various foundations to back cancer survivors in their healing process:
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