Cape Town - This weekend Cape Town will live up to its most recent title: World Design Capital 2014, as it hosts events ranging from the Cape Town Art Fair to the Cape Town Tattoo Expo and the annual Design Indaba.
A welcome spin-off at Design Indaba is the focus on emerging creatives, some of whom will be exhibiting their talents for the first time this year.
Among them is fashion designer Thabo Makhetha, who has an eponymous label. Makhetha, who was born in Lesotho but has lived in all the country’s major cities, uses Basotho blankets in her designs.
“Clothing has to have some kind of history or story to them. The focus is on bringing tradition into modern society,” she says. Historically, the blankets were worn as an everyday item, but now they are only seen at funerals, weddings and other big events. “By converting these blankets to fashion garments, one can now go back to showcasing culture and heritage on a daily basis,” she says.
Makhetha is based in Port Elizabeth, and says Cape Town being the World Design Capital has had a far reach. “It has been challenging running the business from PE. But if you have an idea and a passion for what you do, your location will not stop you,” she says.
She is one of 40 designers supported by the Cape Town Fashion Council, which will have a stand at the Indaba. Another designer whose work will be on show under the council’s umbrella is Isabel de Villiers who specialises in plus-sized designer wear.
She says the response has been overwhelming.
“Clothing has a way of shaping your confidence, and lifting your mood, no matter what size you wear,” she says.
She draws inspiration from the shape of women’s bodies and says she’d love to get her hands on Lindiwe Mazibuko. “She is one smart and stylish lady. I will dress her in our winter wrap dress. It’s the ultimate multi-purpose dress that flatters every shape and size.”
The Department of Arts and Culture has also come on board through its Emerging Creatives programme, aimed at identifying and nurturing emerging creatives, providing them with the platforms to showcase their wares – from jewellery to textiles and furniture – to broader audiences. It facilitated the placement of eight emerging designers who did not qualify for its mentorship programme last year, and who will be part of the department’s 40 exhibitors at the indaba.
Among them is Calvin Botha, an industrial designer who has a unique passion: custom-designed racing bicycles. When Botha joined the Emerging Creatives programme last year, he didn’t even have a product to showcase. He has since quit his job and started his own business.
“Emerging Creatives pushed me really hard. It accelerated the process,” he says. Botha has always been an avid cyclist, and his dream – 10 years in the making – has been to custom design bicycles. “I’m passionate about bike riding. I wanted to be the epicentre of giving people a unique experience.”
Monica Newton, deputy director general at the Department of Arts and Culture, says that while the core World Design Capital events will take place in Cape Town, design influences all elements of the economy, so the longer term impact will be felt countrywide.
“One of the critical elements of WDC is that it opens up a series of platforms to talk about the value and importance of design. The year-long focus by a city with the profile of Cape Town, can provide opportunities for designers and other stakeholders to showcase the value and importance of design in all facets of society, and to advocate for policy and other interventions to support design in the country,” she says. - Cape Argus
* The Design Indaba takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from February 28 to Sunday, March 2. For more information call 021 465 9966 or go to www.designindaba.com