
17 February 2005
The Design Indaba Expo, following on the Design Indaba Conference in Cape Town, will be a gallery, a marketplace, a school and a theatre of the finest original South African design, covering everything from homeware and jewellery to architecture, fashion, film, multimedia and graphic design.
Design Indaba Conference
The Design Indaba Conference, running at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 23 to 25 February, is regarded as one of the premier design events in the world.
The conference brings some of world’s greatest design minds to Cape Town, exposing delegates to cutting-edge design trends, opinions and techniques, and providing a platform for skills sharing between global players and local creatives.
The conference has hosted, among others, Sir Terence Conran, Oliviero Toscani, Vince Frost, Ozwald Boateng, Lucille Tenazas, Peter Saville, Ilse Crawford, Tyler Brule and Karim Rashid.
This year’s extensive line-up of speakers include internationally acclaimed designers and creatives Fernando and Humberto Campana, Massimo Morozzi, Alison Jackson, Issay Kitagawa, Li Edelkoort and Daljit Singh, to name a few.
Design Indaba 8 will also focus on architecture, fashion and jewellery design with the addition of three specialist indabas running alongside the main conference.
Design Indaba Expo
The Design Indaba Expo follows the conference for the second year, operating under the same ideology – to improve the South African economy through quality design. The expo is both a consumer and business event that will showcase only the very best of South Africa “design for sale” to the local and international market.
The expo will be a gallery, a marketplace, a school and a theatre of the finest original SA design, covering everything from homeware and jewellery to architecture, fashion, film, multimedia and graphic design.
While the expo will provide designers with the opportunity to market their work, it is not a trade show. Exhibitors are selected by a curator panel which considers only the most distinctive, innovative and internationally competitive work for display.
The success of the first event, held a year ago, encouraged the organisers to offer an expanded expo this year.
There’s an emphasis on entertainment, with a bigger, more visible fashion area featuring collections from a different designer every half an hour, a film studio showcasing the best of the SA film and TV industry, and the Creatathon, a chance to witness live the creation of an advertising campaign.
Among the highlights of the expo will be exhibitions of the top jewellery collections from both the AngloGold Ashanti Riches of Africa design awards and the DTC Shining Light diamond jewellery awards.
Many of last year’s exhibitors were taken by surprise by local demand for their work, and this year designers will be encouraged to sell more from their stands. The public will be able to buy jewellery, bags, homeware, linen, craft, fashion, music and much more – all original, uniquely South African, and of international quality.
Last year’s expo attracted buyers and media representatives from around the world, including design diva Nicole Farhi, sourcing original work for her chain of exclusive homeware boutiques, French Connection.
This year, the international complement will be boosted considerably with the Department of Trade and Industry facilitating the invitation of buyers from cities in Europe, America, the Middle East and the Far East.
Among exhibitors confirmed for this year’s expo are: Stoned Cherrie, Sun Goddess, Hip Hop and Craig Native (fashion); Aninka Harms, Beverley Price and Philippa Green (jewellery); Heath Nash, iNini Glass, Bat Shop, Mila Company and Helen Melon (decor); Ob Art Mosaics, Monkeybiz, Designology and Reinette Katzoff (craft); and VISI Magazine, Bell-Roberts, and House and Leisure (publishing).
The Design Indaba Expo is open from 25 to 27 February between 10am and 6pm at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Entrance is R30 for adults and R20 for pensioners, students and children.
For more information, phone (021) 418-6666, e-mail expo@designindaba.com, or visit the Design Indaba website.
SouthAfrica.info reporter