The Future of Design

Cape Town-based designe, Berna Buys creates a variety of garments, from evening wear to bridal gowns, and even wallpapers. Her work usually showcases geometric patterns alongside florals and also often includes hand-drawn elements. Her work is inspired by her home country, South Africa, and also by nature and art.

Bernice Mannie is an artist, poet, philosopher and visual communicator from Nelspruit. Her work is composed of a digital series that focuses on relationships she has with people and the intercultural dialogues which exists within these relationships.

Mmamotsatsi Masike is an aspiring interior and furniture designer from Johannesburg. She describes herself as a design-crazed and creative enthusiast, She's a believer in creating conducive sacred spaces and pairing them up with tailor-made furniture pieces.

Visual artist and photographer Bontle Juku’s work is influenced by her love of poetry and spirituality. It explores narratives and socio-political discourse surrounding the existence of the black body. She recently completed a collaborative photographic project titled 'My Skin My Logo' which gained much social media traction, and which was featured in Iqhawe Magazine.MY SKIN MY LOGO (a series inspired by Solange Knowles)This is a photographic series exploring how black people are retaking ownership of andredefining their identities using clothing, branding and thrifting as a means of doing so.Narrating a social/cultural rebranding and alluding to the long history of how clothing instyle and in recent history branded clothing was used as a means of showingclass/financial status in black communities and how that notion is shifting amongstmodern day black South African youth.

Robyn Agulhas is a streetwear designer based in Cape Town. Her designs reflect what life will be like in the future, and features functional streetwear with various technological adaptations and accessibilities.

Artist and creative Courtney Hodgson's brand, Kiffkak, specialises in little trinkets and gifts with a special South African flavour to it. According to Hodgson, Kiffkak at its core, is a celebration of South African culture.

Highly Unlikely by Cape Town-based fashion designer, Luvo Mahangu, is a contemporary fashion brand which aims to find the midpoint between two main market segments: high-end fashion and streetwear.

Founder of furniture design company murrmurr Mia Louise Senekal is an interior and furniture designer based in Cape Town. Senekal creates unique furniture designs, seeing and creating each piece as a work of art.

Tanisha Neill is a furniture and homeware designer from Cape Town. In her work she embraces the philosophy of there being no right or wrong way when it comes to creativity and design.

Ghilian Chevelu is a Cape Town-based designer who loves working with old objects that no longer serve a purpose, and re-imagining them into contemporary pieces of art. His clothing brand Illucid was created to allow people to embrace their self-expression, whatever form that may take.

Pholile Hlongwane is a visual artist, sculptor and eco-feminist from Kwa-Zulu Natal. Hlongwana has an interest in sculptural work as she creates her designs using varying materials such as ceramics, glass, cement and bones.

Siphelele Ntombela is a textile design graduate from Nelson Mandela University. His work is inspired by African culture and history. His latest collection ‘The African Renaissance’ reflects a measured influence from Western culture, but embraces the cultural aesthetics of the Zulu culture.