19 February 2008
Over 70 leading international retail buyers from countries including the US, UK, Dubai, France, Japan, Netherlands and South Korea are set to converge on Cape Town for the 2008 Design Indaba Expo.
Taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 23 to 26 February, the Expo is the quintessential showcase of local creativity, featuring only original, contemporary and innovative products conceived and made in South Africa.
The international buyers represent major brands such as Artek, The Gap, Benetton, Conran, Walmart and Anthropology (which has 90 US stores), says Expo content manager Lauren Shantall. Smaller, specialist outlets such as Rainbow Gallery and Aviarium in Germany, Zidel Technical in Canada, Rubinette in Sweden and Out of Africa in Spain will also be represented.
Twenty of the international buyers - including buyers from brands such as Galeries Lafayette, Kizow, Catembo, Rainbow Gallery, Globus Department Stores and the Urban Collective - will be brought out by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The Expo grew from 55 exhibitors in 2004 to 163 in 2006, and is fully sold out for 2007 with over 240 exhibitors, says Shantall. Visitor attendance ballooned from 9 000 in 2004 to 15 500 in 2006, and the organisers expect more than 20 000 visitors in 2007.
"The increasing international interest in South African design has encouraged more people to look at exporting, and many of the local designs [on show at the Expo] have already met with success as export items," said Nadia Sujee, the DTI's director of creative industries
The Expo is curated by an advisory panel of the best South African designers, stylists, critics and industry experts, ensuring a high standard of originality, production and commercial value.
There have been several achievements resulting from the Expo, says Shantall. Eco-light designer Heath Nash participated in 100% London and 100% Tokyo last year thanks to contacts made at the Expo, and has signed a royalty agreement with leading international design manufacturer and distributor Artecnica.
Architect and industrial designer Tsai received a Red Dot award for his Nested Bunkbeds, first shown at the Expo, while Streetwires' participation in the Expo resulted in a commission for 200 life-sized wire sheep from an American company.
Furniture designer Haldane Martin has secured a distribution agreement in Spain, and the European chain of Conran stores has developed the Conran Africa range for South Africa and London.
"I find the Design Expo an invaluable event for touching base with established designers, discovering fresh emerging talent, feeling the heartbeat of our growing industry and for having a really good time," said Trevyn McGowan, a South African sourcing agent for the international retail market who wrote R10-million worth of orders for South African products in 2007.
The upcoming Expo will include live, day-long fashion performances, South African music videos and short films. There will be talks on design and the announcement of design awards, as well as live demonstrations of DIY designer projects and interactive design and art projects that visitors can take part in.
The Expo will be followed by the the Design Indaba Conference (27 to 29 February). Judged the best conference in the world by EIBTM in Barcelona, the conference attracts some 3 000 delegates from advertising agencies, movie production houses, architectural firms, the fashion and jewellery industries, furniture and lighting manufacturers.
SAinfo reporter
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