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Just this past week we were singing Khanyi Mbau’s praises on how she has owned this year, but little did we know that she had an even bigger announcement this week.
She is about to join the latest celebrity trend and launch her very own gin and is capitalising on her sex appeal to market it.
The actress, radio deejay, television host and businesswoman has always dreamt of becoming the face of an alcoholic beverage, “but due to my brand and how most people perceive me, I was never a favourite in the endorsement and branding spaces, so I then decided to dream big and planned on creating my own brand,” said Mbau.
And boy did she dream big! Mbau’s brand started with a book titled Bitch, please! I’m Khanyi Mbau, and now with the gin named I Am Khanyi – Millennial Shimmer Gin, she is not about to stop letting the world know who she is.
She chose the right time to enter into the beverage industry, just when gin has become the new champagne. It is no lie that gin is making waves. It is the popular thing at events and parties.
Mbau is nothing but excited and we can tell that she cannot wait until it is officially launched on December 1.
“It feels like such a great achievement; the response is incredible, wild actually. It’s the first time that I did something and the country rallied behind me in support.”
The product came to life when the 33-year-old met a woman she calls “wonderful”, Nicole [Warden] from Copper & Malt, who offered to support her and educate her in creating her own gin.
“She kept me fully involved in the whole process right from concept design through to which flavour profiles would work. The gin was designed specifically to suit persona, style and personality.”
When you look at the bottle, you see Mbau’s beauty and personality: it is unique, has a touch of gold and the gin is pink. It has the best packaging anyone could think of – bomb and popping are the correct words to use.
She says it is packaged with love, that is why it looks like a perfume because it is a gift, not a purchase.
“The concept ‘I Am’ came from what my brand stands for as a personality, actress, a woman and a South African. Once all that is combined we are all a part of each other and that was how ‘I Am’ was conceived and followed by Khanyi, which is my name,” she said.
“The design was followed by how I see myself. Pink spiritually is a colour of love and harmony and in my journey I have learnt that one’s greatest possessions are peace and harmony. The shimmer represents my position in society and how people know me as the queen of bling and how my life has been so shiny.”
Mbau says the gin tastes like Turkish delight.
“And once you [sip it], it bursts with flavour of fruits and berries and a dash of grapefruit. It looks soft on the outside but trust me, she is a baddie,” said Mbau.
The headline on this story was changed to reflect that Mbau is not the first South African celebrity to launch a gin product.
