In celebration of Mzansi’s vibrant sporting culture, a new wave of fan style for women and girls is taking shape in time for the World Cup in North America in June and July.
Enter the rise of the “Go Sports” girl — a stylish appeal where patriotism meets elevated, fashion-forward pieces that move effortlessly from the stands to the streets.
And meet Mzansi Threaded, the women-founded apparel brand rewriting the rules of fanwear with feminine, statement-making designs.
Co-founders Thembe Mahlaba, 33, and Siyanda Avutia, 35, are “Go Sports” girlies themselves, launching the apparel brand for the woman who wants her sporting fashion choices to fit seamlessly into her style, whether on or off the pitch.
“Mzansi Threaded is about stylishly being able to show off our beauty and patriotism for sporting events,” says Mahlaba, a digital marketer and social media content manager.
“It became an opportunity for us to answer what we are experiencing and question if other women are having the same type of challenge when it comes to dressing for sporting occasions.”
Avutia, a digital transformation manager, says that retail sportswear offers limited options for women, whereas Mzansi Threaded apparel caters to the woman sports fan with accessible and evergreen styles.
“In SA, in terms of sports identity, it has traditionally been the male first and the [female] after, and we see this across the different retail brands that cater to the male audience — leaving out the girl sports fan," she says.
“We aim to effectively centre the woman who refuses to be one of the boys,” says Avutia.
“She can wear her top to represent the country at all types of sports.”
Spurred on by national pride after Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, Avutia and Mahlaba were inspired to create fashionable pieces to shake up the sportswear fashion game.
“Mzansi Threaded was a brand for our social circle,” says Avutia.
“It was October 2025, and SA had qualified for the World Cup, and we asked ourselves, ‘What are we wearing to the World Cup?’ We considered the options in the retail stores and thought to ourselves, ‘Is that it?’
“From that story, we’ve been able to ideate and build this identity that you [the girl fan] can wear to the World Cup, on your girls’ trip, or when you’re feeling proud to be South African.
“Once I have my top, I automatically have a top to wear to the cricket, a top for rugby and the soccer because we are celebrating being South African and representing that in a way that is just organic to us.”
Mzansi Threaded weaves nostalgic sporting moments into every design, reimagined with a modernity that keeps it fresh and unmistakably contemporary.
“We’re not basing our brand on heritage, history, or anything like that,” says Mahlaba.
“It’s more of a throw-forward and borrowing from past years. If I were around in 1996 and I had something to wear, I would have liked to wear this. We use those sporting moments as inspiration, but more of the 2026 version of what that 1996 version was.”
