Meet SA’s First Ever CGI Influencer. In 2017, the world laid it’s eyes on the first computer-generated model, Shudu Gram.
In 2017, the world laid it’s eyes on the first computer-generated model, Shudu Gram. The model was dark-skinned with characteristics that caught the attention of people, she was surely made for the runaway. The model was the thought of British photographer Cameron-James Wilson. The internet was not really happy with the reality of who profits from the creation of Shudu Gram.
A local brand marketing manager of a big South African retail firm had the same idea froma marketing view. He said that he would never pay the maker of a CGI influencer. “I’d rather approach an influencer agency or pay the talent directly,” says the marketing manager. However, there are also certain others who find CGIs useful for marketing. Anifa Muvemba, the owner of a fashion brand titled “Hanifa’, has been employing her time in quarantine to create CGI models and clothing that represents all body types.
Noonoouri and Bermuda added to the increasing CGI influencers that have gotten themselves a large number of followers, they have also caught the eye of numerous brands for collaboration and sponsorship. South Africa now brings its first Character-Generated influencer, Kim Zulu. She is a 21-year-old who is a supposed virtual human, she has a good sense of fashion and aspires to be in the DJ business. Lebo Kambule, the maker of Kim, has stated that team wanted to portray that there is beauty in being dark-skinned.
Lebo Kambule says, “We all follow the notion that lighter is brighter, which I think I want young teenage girls to never be misled by that notion. We live in a society where the colour of your skin ranks you, which is completel wrong, and I want to show young aspiring teenage girls that this should never be accepted. I truly believe that majority of Africa’s population is mainly darker skinned, and hopefully the colour of my skin will resonate with the majority demographic.”
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by Alexandra Ramaite
