Africa is Now - Showcase by Design Indaba - EXPO 2014

With Cape Town receiving the title of the World Design Capital for 2014, the annual Design Indaba has shown exactly why we are on a whole other level in the world of design. Story by Leandri De Kock.

As usual, the Design Indaba expo, held at the CTICC in February, had all the things you would expect from the biggest design expo in the southern hemisphere – 
handmade items, home ware, architecture, furniture, jewellery and fashion, with everything manufactured locally. 

What makes DI different to other design expo’s is the quality of the exhibitors, their detail and the depth in their displays, and for the first time this year, the expo features designers from all over the continent, expanding the global impact our local designs currently make. DI features over 450 exhibitors all carefully chosen to represent South Africa, and specifically Cape Town for the World Design Capital title.. but it’s the general focus Design Indaba and their exhibitors have that makes this expo stand out...


Every item you see, from furniture to fashion, focuses on architecture, the use of textiles, sustainability, and making everything as environmentally friendly as possible.

At the moment, we live in a society where we are so used to everything being described as “green” or “eco-friendly”, and we can easily get tired of the redundancy, but what Design Indaba has done is make these old ideas refreshing and sustainable in an African context. The exhibitors use different ideas of modernity and bring it into a traditional African sense without making it the type of thing you see at every tourist curio shop.

"Design Indaba delivers every year, showing just how amazing and advanced South African designs can be."

The feature exhibit this year is the “Africa is Now” showcase, describing Africa as resourceful, sharp, transformed, tradition reinvented and urban, each with their own designs on how Africa is exactly that. 
The expo also has different platforms for young creatives, such as the “Emerging Creatives” project which is sponsored by the Department of Arts and Culture, who gives designers of the next generation the opportunity to get on the platform next to the established designers at Design Indaba.

The elaborate fashion shows, produced by the Cape Town Fashion Council, brings 20 shows to the expo, showcasing local fashion and couture by South Africa’s leading designers. Putting a “tribal glamour” twist on the fashion, it also focuses on the “green” idea and using sustainable and recyclable materials in their designs.

It can’t be said that the expo showcases everyday designs, or builds on ideas you’ve seen before. Design Indaba delivers every year, showing just how amazing and advanced South African designs can be. But it goes without saying, that with the title of World Design Capital for 2014 in Cape Town, Design Indaba obviously had to make it their best and most innovative year so far...and they most certainly did that!
x