Design Indaba and the Department of Arts and Culture celebrated 16 years of the Emerging Creatives programme earlier this year, which gives 50 talented young designers a chance to show their work at the event. We caught up with furniture designer Siyanda Magaba to find out about his furniture inspirations and plans for the future.

You launched your own furniture design brand while you were still at university. When did you know you wanted to be a furniture designer?

The idea to start Africular came about in 2019. I started it not just as a furniture design brand, but as an interior design brand, with space planning, conceptual design and installation services attached. I completed my first interior project for fashion brand LSL, which encouraged further interest in learning and exploring practical skills. I have always been a “do it” type of person, and I see my company as a tool to educate myself in every aspect of the design industry.

Tell us about your collection.

Africular is a movement towards creating eco-efficient furniture that’s inspired by geometric African patterns. The brand is influenced by the principle of creating for a purpose and crafting unique, unpredictable characters in furniture design. Exploring and learning by doing is my design mission. Believing and looking past limitations to achieve new possibilities is the foundation of the brand. The current collection consists of four pieces, which differ slightly from one another as a result of the behaviour of the materials and the condition of the reclaimed timber. The signature V-like cutout represents the African zigzag pattern known as the “path of the ancestor”, which is an expression of the ups and downs we face in life on our path to achieving our goals.

Africular Ottoman

Biggest inspiration?

My grandfather, who taught me about hard work and determination. He inspired me to be who I am today through his knowledge and wisdom. I am also heavily inspired by the philosophies and craftsmanship of [Bauhaus school founder] Walter Gropius.

Do you have any upcoming plans you can share with us?

My plan for 2020 is to expand on the knowledge and skills I’ve obtained through my varsity years and while running my design business. The Africular project is meaningful to me – the mission is to break the boundaries of inaccessibility to African-inspired designer furniture. I plan to evolve the Africular collection to create more functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture, and create more opportunities for accessibility.

Follow Siyanda at @magaba_designs on Instagram.

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Design Indaba and the Department of Arts and Culture celebrated 16 years of the Emerging Creatives programme earlier this year, which gives 50 talented young designers a chance to show their work at the event. We caught up with Joburg-based fashion designer and mechanical engineer Phumelela Malinga to find out more about his career transition and inspirations.

From mechanical engineering to fashion: what made you decide to make the jump?

Fashion was always embedded in me. When I was growing up, my mother wouldn’t let me leave the house without properly coordinated outfits. I studied mechanical engineering, so fashion took a back seat – but I like to believe I was the coolest engineering student in my class! What really catalysed the jump from engineering to fashion was the lack of variety of prints, cuts and colours in men’s retail departments. Walking through the women’s section always left me asking, “Why is there so much variety?” I noticed this gap and set my sights on filling it.

What do you love most about creating?

It’s empowering. There’s just something about starting the day with nothing and ending it with something tangible that excites me. What I love most about it is the journey of constantly surprising myself with my increasing ability and interest in a topic.

What does your brand BY PHUME stand for?

In addition to creating high-quality customer experiences, the BY PHUME brand is a youth-driven movement. It focuses on empowering the youth by creating a network that stems from a common place of interest. We believe in the talent and potential of the youth, and we nurture that through collaborations and engaging content.

Biggest inspiration?

I think when local talent Thebe Magugu recently won the prestigious LVMH Prize, it was massively inspiring. He was the first African designer to achieve this kind of global recognition. That gives young designers such as myself great confidence, because the world is finally acknowledging the talent that we know we’ve always had. I am inspired and motivated to add a chapter to African fashion history.

Do you have any upcoming plans you can share with us?

The brand’s focus for 2020 is ready-to-wear apparel. In many ways, first impressions last, and since we are a new brand, we want to set up a strong foundation for the future. We will also be working on expanding our footprint locally and internationally.

Follow BY PHUME on Instagram to keep up to date with the brand’s latest news.

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Design Indaba and the Department of Arts and Culture celebrated 16 years of the Emerging Creatives programme earlier this year, which gives 50 talented young designers a chance to show their work at the event. We caught up with Joburg-based interior and furniture designer Mmamotsatsi Masike.

How has working as a space planner informed your own practice?

Having worked as an interior designer who didn’t design furniture, I felt that some spaces lacked character. Yes, I could add wall, floor or ceiling finishes, but it wouldn’t add enough character to the space, and it left me with a feeling that something was missing from the design. I saw an opportunity to create statement, accent furniture pieces that could be used in spaces as an added “twist” – to bring the spaces to life and give them soul.

What do you love most about creating?

I love that creating is abundant. I love how the process has infinite possibilities and solutions – not just one correct answer, but an intuitive one. It is the act of mindfulness that I enjoy the most because it requires me to be my most authentic self. It’s like prayer or worship. It’s me being in an active state of listening to the silent space within; being able to feel the passion, love and grace that is in and around us; and being able to transfer and translate that energy/feeling into the creation of something deeper and bigger than myself.

Biggest inspiration?

The richness of the African continent’s culture and heritage.

Do you have any upcoming plans you can share with us?

For my work to get into art, design and cultural spaces. For some of my pieces to be on display in museums or galleries. For my company to be recognised. To get a range of clients, local and international. To showcase my work at the Milan Furniture Fair and London Design Week. I’d also like to collaborate with other creatives, such as Rich Mnisi, Trevor Stuurman and Laduma Ngxokolo.

Mmamotsatsi won the first annual Ravi Naidoo Residency for Emerging Creatives, and will spend an all-expenses paid residency abroad courtesy of sponsors Clout, the Nando’s Design Programme.

See more of her work at @designmuse_88 on Instagram.

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Design Indaba and the Department of Arts and Culture celebrated 16 years of the Emerging Creatives programme earlier this year, which gives 50 talented young designers a chance to show their work at the event. We caught up with streetwear designer Robyn Agulhas.

What do you love most about being a designer?

It has taken me a long time to discover my creativity and to find what I’m truly passionate about. I had doubts about my ability for so many years, even though I’ve always known that I loved fashion. Every time I design, I do it with my whole heart. To me, it’s not just clothes; it’s the story of the collection. I’m grateful that I have the ability to create from what inspires me, and to see my ideas come to life.

Describe your designs in three words.

Tech-wear, detailed, different. What do you want to convey through your designs? My graduate collection conveys a message of how attached we are to our devices, and what the future of fashion could possibly look like if we had technology fitted into our everyday wear. Through my designs, I also want to convey the quality and attention to detail found in locally made clothing.

Biggest inspiration?

My friends and family. I love to see them grow and do what they love. From really creative friends in music, art, design, modelling and film to those who are in the corporate environment and absolutely own what they do, they all inspire me to keep pushing and keep doing what I love. My mom is also a huge inspiration – thanks to her, I’ve seen what determination and hard work look like.

Do you have any upcoming plans you can share with us?

I’m currently freelancing in the film industry as an assistant stylist, but I would love to push my brand sinCHUI, and collaborate with people in the worlds of art and music. I’m not too sure what the future holds for me, but I’m ready for anything that is meant to be. I’ll continue to create and put in the hard work.

See more of Robyn’s work on Instagram.

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Cape Town-based graphic designer and 2019 Design Indaba Emerging Creative, Nicole Du Toit, believes that good design has the power to change the world.

“The long-distance vision and technical ability that five years of study abroad has given me has served to strengthen my love for Africa and has brought me full circle to a place where I now choose to grow and thrive as a designer, filling a space in the South African context and beyond,” says Nicole, who completed her studies abroad at the Pratt Design Institute in New York. “I believe that it is our duty as South African artists/designers to take from the world around us and grow and contribute to our own beloved community.”

Nicole perceives great art and design as a type of “visual poetry”, by layering beauty and meaning. “On one hand, its message must be clear and unambiguous and on the other, great design should shape perception and evoke a response that is focused, pertinent and relevant to the intent of the designer and their creative challenge,” she says.

Her most successful project to date, entitled “Period”, was aimed at rebranding government-issued sanitary pads and to make sustainable pads and reproductive health education more accessible to women in South Africa and across the globe.

See more of Nicole’s work on Instagram.

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Cape Town-based designer Christine Goosen, a Design Indaba 2019 Emerging Creative, creates sleek, sophisticated furniture under her brand Jacobs Collection.

“At Jacobs Collection, we believe in beautiful simplicity,” says Christine. “Step into a world where functional design is an amalgamation of quality materials, careful consideration and comfort. This is a world where soft fabrics and tough steel cohabit and where their contrasts highlight their beauty. A world where line is king; where structural details are embraced and not hidden.”

Christine’s designs make use of texture and strong, architectural lines, from the steel frames to the stitching.

Each piece from the Jacobs Collection is locally produced and made to order.

See more of Christine’s work at jacobscollection.co.za.

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Local designer and entrepreneur Primrose Chimhanda, a Design Indaba Emerging Creative and finalist in 2018’s Nando’s Hot Young Designer talent search, is the founder of Primrose Charmz, an eco-friendly textile, homeware and surface design brand.

Her first collection, 27, is an arresting exploration of surface design inspired by nature and geometry. “Each design is inspired by a form of nature which represents an expression of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned this year,” says Primrose. “These themes are also relatable to society.”

The 27 collection, named after her current age, and a year that she says has been the most transformational of her life, boasts a range of intricate designs informed by nature’s own creativity:

• The Lotus: Blooming from the depths of mud, her lotus-inspired design is symbolic for overcoming trials and reaching enlightenment.

The Lotus

• The Dandelion: Beautifully simple, her dandelion-inspired prints symbolise overcoming hardship to emerge victorious.

The Dandelion

• The Protea: A homage to home, South Africa’s national flower print symbolises courage, strength and transformation.

The Protea

• The Monarch: Metamorphosing from caterpillar to winged wonder, this design is symbolic of transformation.

The Monarch

• The Daffodil: The bold lines of an otherwise ethereal flower represents new beginnings and the rebirth of self.

The Daffodil

As a self-proclaimed holistic designer, Primrose aims to create design solutions that are focused on delivering an amazing end-user experience while simultaneously promoting an improved bond between humanity and nature.

Visit primrosecharmz.com for more information and keep up to date by following her on Instagram.

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Every year, 50 talented up-and-coming creatives, from furniture designers to visual artists, are featured as part of the annual Design Indaba Festival.

The Festival, which will be held in Cape Town from 27 February to 1 March 2019, sees 40 Emerging Creatives, supported by the Department of Arts and Culture, showcase their work, with 10 Emerging Creatives exhibiting at the Joburg Simulcast of the Design Indaba Conference.

Previous Emerging Creatives include designer Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa by Laduma, artist Atang Tshikare, ceramicist Andile Dyalvane, fashion designer Rich Mnisi, artist Paul Senyol and designer and illustrator Daniel Ting Chong, who is behind the design of the 2019 Design Indaba campaign, which you can read more about here.

This year’s line-up has been curated by illustrator and graphic designer (as well as a 2014 Emerging Creative) Russell Abrahams (aka Yay Abe) and award-winning fashion designer Thabo Makhetha.

Expect to see stand-out work from all 50 Emerging Creatives, including fashion designers Kgahlego Kewana, Shaline Naicker and Zane Ngwenya, graphic designers Nicole du Toit and Rofhiwa Mudau, furniture designers Bright Dimba and Christine Goosen, industrial, product and surface designers Minenhle Zazi Cira, Simphiwe Mlambo and Primrose Chimhanda, spatial designer Mpho Mphaga and jewellery designer Mbali Mthethwa.

Nicole du Toit

Rofhiwa Mudau

For more information about this year’s Design Indaba Festival, visit designindaba.com.

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Designer Shelley Lee has reimagined the tote bag, and it’s a beauty.

The fashion accessory brand Verse is the brainchild of Shelley Lee, a Design Indaba 2018 Emerging Creative. She makes leather bags using patterns cut straight from the hides, which she sources from local tanneries – first scrutinising every hide’s texture, weight and colour. Her process involves saddle-stitching hand-punched holes with blunt needles.

“The Haiku tote from my new collection is a response to having observed people’s concerns around keeping their belongings safe,” she says. “By not being precious about the traditional tote shape, I found that by simply tucking the corners, the bag is made secure.”

The brand name pays homage to Shelley’s openness to adaptation and the versatility of her creations. To add a unique signature, each bag is embossed with a poem or a piece of prose.

Shelley will have a stand at KAMERS/Makers in Stellenbosch and Pretoria this summer.

For more information and to shop online, visit versethelabel.com.

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Johannesburg-based designer and artist Tiaan S Beukes, one of this year’s Emerging Creatives at Design Indaba, chats to us about being a designer, what inspires his work and what we can expect from his upcoming collection.

What do you love most about being a designer?

The freedom and endless possibilities. I am not restricted to a particular field of making or material. I make leather goods, jewellery, furniture and art and when I feel like making something different, I can do that. As a designer, I have the opportunity to make an impact on the world or just to make someone happy with a beautiful object.

Why did you decide to design a chair?

The chairs in the Department of Visual Arts at Stellenbosch University were my inspiration. I looked at the broken and unused chairs that were standing around. They were without any practical function or use, but for me, they were more than that. They were objects that have significance whether or not they had the primary function of being a seat for one’s ass!

In my third year of studying jewellery design, as a jewellery designer that doesn’t even were jewellery, I started making jewellery with a function other than that of mere adornment. These pieces could be used as practical tools to loosen nuts and bolts and as screwdrivers or allen keys. The idea of taking an object with a practical use, such as a chair and turning that into jewellery, fashion or sculpture, without a traditional practical use, was an interesting idea.

What was it like being an Emerging Creative at Design Indaba this year?

I have been going to Design Indaba since 2014. I have been inspired and motivated by dozens of creatives in attendance over the years and to be part of that is incredible. The opportunities that the Indaba affords young designers like myself is humbling and attending the workshop presented by Thato Kgatlhanye was transformative.

You’re working on a range of homeware items. What can we expect from this range?

At this stage, I am building a workspace for making that will be completed in the coming months. Ideas and material experiments are ongoing, but the manufactured products will be limited to 100 of each item. With these pieces I want people to return to a frame of mind where objects are valued in and of themselves. In a sphere where objects are mass-produced and consumed without regard for anything other than immediate satisfaction for the user, I want to design, create and make objects that have some sort of “substance”.

View more of Tiaan’s work at tiaansbeukes.wixsite.com/salmon or follow him on Instagram.

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