Jo-Mari Stuns in Her Custom Coetzee Gown
by Jessica Gaertner - December 17, 2020 Fashion News
Last year Gert-Johan Coetzee and I hosted a competition in order to raise funds for the TEARS Foundation. The prize was a custom dress valued at R50 000, and in order to enter, all you needed to do was share and donate a minimum of R10 towards the charity.
Jo-Mari was our lucky winner and it was incredible to be able to give this one-of-a-kind prize to a bride-to-be. It was so amazing to be able to be a part of creating the wedding dress of her dreams and working alongside one of South Africa’s top luxury designers. Due to the COVID pandemic, Jo-Mari’s wedding was delayed for several months, but she finally tied the know with her husband a few weeks ago and she looked absolutely beautiful.
Jo-Mari and I met for the first time in Gert’s studio in Johannesburg, where we also met with the founder of the TEARS foundation, Mara Glennie, to hand over the R10 000 that we raised through the competition. As my first fundraiser ever I was over-the-moon with the result. I can’t wait to gain more experience, a bigger platform and raise more funds for the incredible cause in the future.
The TEARS Foundation provides access to crisis intervention, advocacy, counselling, and prevention education services for those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Confidential services are provided to all victims at no charge. It is a women led organisation and help is provided regardless of ethnicity, religion, culture or socio-economic background or location. The foundation provides assistance nationwide with a 24 hour free SMS service to anyone who has access to a cellphone.
I was interviewed on SABC3 for the Afternoon Express show about the competition which was an amazing platform to share the message and get as many people involved as possible. I managed to share my own personal experience with sexual assault, my experience in the fashion industry and why I went about the fundraiser the way I did. Click here for the full interview.
Please click here to find out more about the TEARS Foundation.