SA inaugural design week: Reimagine everything

With the first South Africa Design Week on the horizon, the country’s vibrant design world is set to reimagine how we imagine spaces, sustainability and new sources of inspiration. In its 30th edition, Decorex Africa will be on in Cape Town from 22 to 25 June and in Johannesburg from 3 to 6 August.

What makes South African Design Week special this year is it is the first time Decorex Cape Town, Decorex Joburg, 100% Design Africa and Design Joburg will run simultaneously, while top designers, retailers and creatives from South Africa and the continent will join forces. 

“It’s time for the local design industry to take back its agency and reclaim its narratives, rather than letting others interpret them, and Design Week will provide the perfect vehicle to do so,” says Sandra Barrow, RX portfolio director of lifestyle, design and retail. 

Ahead of Design Week, South African designers and architects are set to showcase their work at the South African Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition (often called the “Olympics of architecture”) in Venice, Italy, from 20 to 26 May. 

With the theme, the “Structure of a People” it aims to illustrate how South Africa’s rich worlds of indigenous knowledge could hold solutions to global issues, says Dr Sechaba Maape, director of the design practice Afreetekture, who is headed to Venice.

“Structure of a People” is set to explore indigenous knowledge through three zones. The first is “The Past”, which looks to pre-colonial southern African societies. Second is the “The Council of (non-human) Beings”, which explores more contemporary cultures and influences, such as hip-hop and Amapiano, bridging past and current cultures. 

The third zone, titled “Political Animals”, is where the winner of the national competition for  South African architecture schools is exhibited. 

Part of the furniture

Following Decorex 2022 and Design Joburg 2022, the team has produced an event that is a vibrant and exciting showcase of the continent’s creative talents. More consumers than industry professionals attended last year’s events, making up 73% of the attendance, pointing to an exciting appetite for curating our spaces. 

“Around the world, design weeks have proved to be a highly effective way to kickstart positive awareness of the local design industry, shining a light on an industry brimming with optimism, creative solutions and extraordinary potential,” says Donald Nxumalo, an interior designer and owner of DNX Interior Design. 

Design weeks provide a wonderful platform for young, talented designers to showcase themselves, says Nxumalo. 

Few industries thrive in a vacuum, and each of the host cities have their own creative scenes, with unique voices and styles, that will both play with, and contrast with, each other. Not only is this year’s design week exciting for those already in the design world, but the new generation who is injecting fresh talent into this space. 

This year, industry eyes are on young design talent in the Samsung Bespoke Design Challenge. Four interior designers are tapped to create their vision of a kitchen and living room space. This year’s finalists are Mbali Maseko, Maresa Maartens, Zwellibanzi Nzuza and Keneilwe Mothoa.