Fashion designer Quiteria won’t apologise for ‘fat shaming’ Lesego Thlabi

Lesego Thlabi called out fashion designer Quiteria Kekana for making her feel “less than” and body shaming her during a fitting on Wednesday.

Quiteria and George Malelu are a well-known couture fashion label called Quiteria & George but the pair split in 2019. Quiteria has since gone solo with his own fashion label, called Quiteria Atelier.

Quiteria & George famously dressed Beyoncé for the 2018 Global Citizen concert in Johannesburg.

ALSO READ: Beyoncé closed the show in a local Quiteria & George design

The comedian and host of SABC3’s Trending SA detailed her unpleasant experience during a fitting, naming Quiteria as the “famous designer”  who used the words “fatty boom boom”, seemingly unhappy with her body size, which Lesego says he was told beforehand.

“Does he not then declare very loudly in the store after a failed try-on that he has nothing for me & then uses words like ‘fatty boom boom’ to describe how I’d look in the designs. Yoh.”

With many people wondering which designer body-shamed her, satirical comic Coconut Kelz caved in and named him.

Actually nah. It’s Quiteria and George. What happens from there is above me. It was shit shit shit. If I lose this opportunity, I lose it. I will never ever wear something from there. And it was “Q” himself.

— Lesego Tlhabi (@LesegoTlhabi) February 24, 2021

Thlabi said fat-phobia is a different kind of shaming, she felt less than and that her body was not “good enough” for the designer’s dresses.

People jumped to her support and shared similar experiences with the designer.

I’m not surprised Lesego. I was told I’m fat too in 2015 whilst doing a fitting with them. The way Q pulled his face when I tried on a dress was pure disgust. He said my body needed ‘some major work’ cause there isn’t really a dress for me.

Lesego I worked for a big bank and we used them for a campaign. They had to make dresses for our winners and they brought dresses for -10 sizes only, since then I knew never to work with them ever again. Never again ????

— Favoured???? (@BusisiweOM) February 24, 2021

Sorry babe ????????

— Lexi Van (@van_lexi) February 24, 2021

Heyi I’m hurt af. And of course I have to shake it off because it’s for work. Your day really can get ruined on account of you being a big girl in a way that no one else will understand. THE INDUSTRY LITERALLY DOESN’T WANT US. It’s wild

— Lesego Tlhabi (@LesegoTlhabi) February 24, 2021

Speaking to The Citizen Quiteria said he didn’t understand why he was called out and whether this was a cruel “vile joke”, he repeated what he said on his Instagram Live earlier on Thursday morning.

“I am not apologising for nothing or for anything, nobody is going to see it. I am going to have decisions with the parties involved and get more out of this story.”

Part 3: lesego Quiteria pic.twitter.com/Z57sCpkDMp

— Sboh (@SbohKardashian) February 25, 2021

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