Diana Seboke Zitha, Janet Ceramics, Rainbow Artz and Wilderblommetjies are four local brands that were selected by the Craft and Design Institute (CDI) and the V&A Waterfront to retail in the Design Lab store at the V&A Waterfront’s Watershed.
The four newly selected businesses took up the space in October 2022 after going through a training programme provided by the CDI.
The Design Lab is a living retail “laboratory” that is open at the bustling V&A Watershed, the prime Cape Town retail space and a top tourism destination within the iconic V&A Waterfront precinct.
The initiative is also receiving ongoing additional support from Business and Arts South Africa (BASA).
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The Design Lab is an annual programme, initiated in April 2021, that provides creatives with dedicated support through training and mentorship. It assists creative entrepreneurs to get ready for retail through a real-life experience of running a store in a supported environment.
Individual business assessments, hands-on product support, and business training are combined with comprehensive on-site store management training, including merchandising and styling, sales techniques and etiquette, banking, stock-taking, and point of sale.
These creatives can now make their mark on the industry with a little help from the public’s hearts and pockets.
Here’s more information on the four businesses that have been chosen:
Janet Ceramics by Janet Lightbody
Janet Ceramics creates stunning, expertly crafted ceramic pieces for the home. Janet Lightbody founded the company because she is inspired by life and is passionate about South African people and nature.
Her childhood dream was to become an artist, and now her life is her art. Her functional ceramic art collection aims to inspire you to live a life you love. Janet Ceramics has provided innovative homeware stores both locally and internationally, as well as interior design firms, game lodges, and various galleries and art shops.
Rainbow Artz by Tavengwa Dahwa Rainbow
Rainbow Artz specialises in wire sculpture, working with galvanised wire and telephone wire. Tavengwa Dahwa, the company’s founder, creates a wide range of intricately crafted animals and functional decorative ware out of colourful wire.
Dahwa, who was born in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, discovered his gift and passion after meeting other craft practitioners who inspired him. He used to make wire cars as toys as a child, and these have evolved into his unique, fun, and emotional art pieces. There is a sense of spontaneity that gives each piece life and energy.
Diana Seboke Zitha
Diana Seboke Zitha is a Limpopo-born artist who currently resides in Cape Town. She graduated from Nelson Mandela University with a degree in visual arts and discovered her creative abilities during a crochet workshop in her final year of university.
She has since refined and developed her technique. As the winner of the South African leg of the Society of Dyers and Colourists design competition, her crochet art has allowed her to travel to places such as Sri Lanka. Her inspiration comes from the beauty of the past as well as living in the present.
Wilderblommetjies by Melony Williams
Melony Williams founded Wilderblommetjies in 2018 after having been part of the apparel design community for many years, working as a designer since 2003.
The distinct characteristics of South African wildflowers have captured her heart and informed her vision to create clothing for babies and toddlers that features prints, poems and colour schemes that are inspired by wildflowers. Her passion is to create styles that kids can move in effortlessly while having fun.
Wilderblommetjies has also created designs for many other designer clothing labels for kids.
Why the V&A Watershed is the perfect site for Design Lab:
The V&A Watershed is the ultimate testing ground for new creative businesses. It is a beautiful and vibrant space at South Africa’s top tourism destination, where over 150 tenants offer more than 365 brands to visitors.
All this makes it the perfect spot for the Design Lab, where the eclectic mix of undiscovered products and the enticement of new names on the design scene add richness and excitement to the V&A Watershed’s existing offerings.
“The V&A Watershed is the V&A Waterfront’s home to African design, and its tenants represent some of the most beautiful and creative local skills, each with their own story to tell. The Design Lab programme allows us to extend the opportunity for emerging retailers to test their products in a real-world environment. Through this, it builds a new range of talented entrepreneurs accessing the market at the V&A Waterfront,” states Alex Kabalin, Executive Manager: Retail at the V&A Waterfront.
Design Lab success stories:
During their participation in the Design Lab, the inaugural group chosen in 2021 made sales in excess of R160 000.There was also support from Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) for key marketing activities to raise awareness and drive traffic to the store.
A selection of these businesses was also subsequently provided with the opportunity to retail as part of the Cape Town Marathon Expo in October 2022, a major event on Cape Town’s annual calendar.
Fran Stewart, the CDI’s manager for market access, said:
“Through this initiative, we are focused on the ongoing sustainability and growth potential of the selected creative businesses, helping them with dedicated support to hold their own successfully and confidently in the marketplace. The V&A Waterfront’s Watershed has consistently provided one of the most sought-after market access opportunities for creative entrepreneurs, and we are proud to be partnering with them for this programme to accelerate the development of local creative entrepreneurs.”
Also read:
Cape Town’s newest retail hotspot, Design Lab has officially opened its doors
Picture: Supplied