Cape Town Design Indaba

Karen Henry 2010 Cape Town Design Exhibition Indaba South Africa Travel Visit

When is the Cape Town Design  Indaba?

The Cape Town Design Indaba is held every year in February in Cape Town, South Africa. The Cape Town Design Indaba exhibition includes South African designed fashion, jewelry and film as well as product design. While I was on holiday there I popped in.

Table Mountain, Cape Town

Where is the Cape Town Design Indaba Held?

The exhibition is usually held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in Cape Town, South Africa.

 

In one section of the exhibition, there was a permanent fashion ramp with 3 massive screens behind it, and a lounge area and bar alongside it – very nice! Throughout each day of the exhibition, there was non-stop fashion shows from local designers, followed by short films made locally. When you got tired of walking around you could get a drink of your choice and sit down and watch a fashion show or short film – nice!.

Design Indaba Fashion Show

Many of the designs at the exhibition were constructed from recycled materials and were really well made.

Bousquet designs

Bousquet designs, Wall-e like lamp
Bousquet designs, Wall-e like lamp

Bousquet designs
Bousquet designs

Bousquet designs light 2
Bousquet designs light

Recreate Recycling Designs

Recreate (www.recreate.za.net) whose recycling designs include chairs/sofas made from old suitcases and a wall clock made from a dustbin lid. You can even give them your old family/ favorite suitcase from which they will make your chair.

Recreate sofa
Recreate sofa

Wall clock made from a dustbin lid
Wall clock made from a dustbin lid

Whichcraft Designs

Whichcraft (www.whichcraft.co.za) whose products include a portfolio over-shoulder bag constructed from straw placemats.

 Whichcraft over-the-shoulder bag
Whichcraft over-the-shoulder bag

Change Room Design

Glenn (Email: changeroomdesign@gmail.com) makes rugged belts from car tires and wallets from inner-tubes.

 Rugged belts from car tyres
Rugged belts from car tyres

Rugged belts from car tyres
Rugged belts from car tires

Local Community Designs

There were a large number of products that were handcrafted by local community groups. Bootkidz supported the local community by purchasing stock for sale on this website. The handcrafted paper-clay jewelry created by one of these community groups will soon be available through the Bootkidz website.

Homeware Designs

Raw (www.rawstudios.co.za) design and build cupboards, filing trays and any storage you wish entirely from plywood – even the hinges! Exhibiting with Raw was an illustrator who has recently added her humorous designs to tableware.

 Rawstudios build cupboards, filing trays and any storage you wish entirely from plywood
Rawstudios build cupboards, filing trays and any storage you wish entirely from plywood

Rawstudios build cupboards, filing trays and any storage you wish entirely from plywood
Rawstudios build cupboards, filing trays and any storage you wish entirely from plywood

Gauteng Design Council

A group of designers supported by the Gauteng design council included many fantastic designs that included a felt hat and 'summer scarf' combo, and a crocheted handbag. There were 2 voluptuous shaped vases based on the body of 'Anna', created by an established artist. I saw the work of a well-known graffiti artist known as Faith47 – loved those!

Knitted scarf and hat made from felt
Knitted scarf and hat made from felt

Crocheted bag
Crocheted bag

Carved Wooden Vase Guateng Design Council
Carved Wooden Vase Gauteng Design Council

Graffiti Artist Guateng Design Council
Graffiti Artist Guateng Design Council

 

Eco-Fashion

In the area of eco-fashion design, there was this pretty sculptural felt dress exhibited with the Gauteng Creative Council.

Eco Design showing mannequin
Eco Design showing mannequin with eco-art

 

Low-cost design boots

One concept I thought was great – something all major design shows should do – a long row of small booths (about 30 booths) – probably only 3ft x 7ft – for emerging creatives – that's all you need!  Any emerging creative who has looked at the charge for space at Milan or London design show at Earls Court will know how difficult it is to exhibit at those shows unless you join a group or an organization.

Design booths at the design indaba
Design booths at the design indaba

 

 



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