Phupho Gumede takes his Durban July buzz to Couture Week, rubs shoulders with TikTok's "Queen of RichTok" Becca Bloom.
Phupho Gumede jetted off to Paris for haute couture fashion week, where he mingled with global TikTok sensation Becca Bloom. Picture: Instagram, @phuphogumedek
South African content creator Phupho Gumede is having quite the fortnight. Just days after turning heads at the Durban July with a show-pony-inspired white outfit, Gumede jetted off to Paris for haute couture fashion week. There, he attended Lebanese designer George Hobeika’s couture show and rubbed shoulders with global TikTok star Becca Bloom in the process.
Who is Becca Bloom?
Gumede’s vlog from the Hobeika show captured him interacting with Becca Bloom, real name Rebecca Ma, an American entrepreneur and social media personality widely known as the “queen of RichTok”.
Ma is an American entrepreneur, socialite and social media influencer who is the co-founder of Hearth Wireless Chargers and works as a luxury fashion influencer. She was named on Time’s 100 Best Creators List in July 2025.
Bloom’s rise to fame has been rapid. She had never posted to TikTok at the start of 2025, but within weeks had amassed more than two million followers, becoming a leading figure in the online subgenre known as #RichTok.
Her content showcases European shopping sprees, six-figure jewellery purchases and elaborate date nights, and she has built her platform around luxury fashion hauls, jewellery splurges, finance tips and glamorous daily routines. She now counts several million followers across TikTok and Instagram.
Part of her appeal lies in how she frames her wealth.
Bloom grew up in Atherton, California, with parents who worked in Silicon Valley; her father, Simon Yiming Ma, and mother, Heidi Chou, founded the software company Camelot Information Systems.
Despite this background, Bloom has said her goal isn’t to be aspirational but simply to be herself, and that she wants to break down financial concepts for the women who make up the bulk of her audience. She maintains a career in finance and, unusually for an influencer of her size, currently posts almost no sponsored content.
Her profile has made her a fixture on the international fashion circuit, having already been spotted at major shows such as Balmain’s Spring/Summer 2026 presentation during Paris Fashion Week.
Country allure, decoded
Gumede’s Paris trip comes on the back of a buzzy showing at the Durban July, where his show-pony-inspired white outfit was among the looks that got tongues wagging about this year’s “Country Allure” theme, and how well celebrities actually interpreted it.
The theme’s creative team came in for criticism after an infographic from an event listing on the tiisandcsonline social media pages did the rounds online, mistaken by many for official communication from Hollywoodbets in its capacity as the Durban July’s title sponsor.
Commentators pointed to a gap between the “creative and the copy”, in other words, between how the theme was explained and how it actually played out on the red carpet.
The circulated post described the theme as follows: “‘Country allure,’ the official theme for the 2026 Durban July, speaks to a refined interpretation of countryside beauty, where rural simplicity meets elevated style. At its core, the theme highlights the natural charm, elegance and quiet sophistication associated with life beyond the city, transforming it into a statement of luxury and creativity.”
It went on to root the theme specifically in a South African context: “In a South African context, ‘country’ extends far beyond farmland. It draws from the nation’s diverse landscapes, from the hills of KwaZulu-Natal to the vast openness of the Karoo, while embracing cultural identity through traditional fabrics, beadwork and heritage-inspired design. The allure lies in authenticity, where fashion becomes a celebration of local craftsmanship, storytelling and a deep connection to the land.”
Against that brief, Metro FM DJ and musician Nomuzi “Moozlie” Mabena was widely hailed as best-dressed, having arrived in an outfit paying homage to celebrated South African artist Esther Mahlangu.
Gumede, for his part, explained on TikTok that his own look was inspired by “the oldest form of transportation in the countryside” and the “year of the horse”.
Phupho in Paris
Once in France, Gumede shared highlights from Hobeika’s high-glamour couture show, which featured intricately beaded and stoned gowns, and congratulated the designer on a successful outing.
He also attended the Stephane Rolland show, which leaned heavily on ivory looks broken up by occasional black and red pieces. For the occasion, Gumede wore a show-stopping SUCRA piece, topped with a mechanical floral headpiece that opened and closed, and paired with a billowing black cape.
