Inga thinks outside the design box
Wooden bags a fusion of fashion, interior and industrial elements
The spectrum and definition of design in South Africa and the world has certainly stretched in recent years.
Nowadays, the gap between fashion, interior, graphic and even industrial design has been successfully bridged, making for a beautiful freedom of artistic expression for designers everywhere.
This has certainly proven to be true for Inga Gubeka, a 30year-old interior designer who is making waves.
Born in Ngqeleni, a small town in Eastern Cape, Gubeka is one designer who has refused for his creativity to be boxed in and has wowed everyone with his unique wooden bags.
The concept can only be described as the result of fashion, interior and industrial design sitting down together for dinner.
So, how did he manage to channel his creativity to such a level?
He says in his early years, he flirted with different genres.
“I have always known that I wanted to become a designer, but I didn’t know what type of designer I wanted to become. This is until I started watching Top Billing and discovered there was something called an interior designer.
“That’s when my love for interior design came about. There was a slot on Top Billing called the DIY with Aidan Bennett who really inspired me... Years later, I would actually work with him.
“I studied arts and design in varsity and later studied interior design. The love for industrial design came as a result of interior design where I did a short course in product making and furniture designing.”
In 2012, Gubeka started his own interior design company based in Cape Town, but it was only in recent years his creative juices propelled him to add a new element to his already masterful craft – lifestyle accessories.
This was when Indalo Decor became a lifestyle accessories brand, specialising in contemporary and architectural accessories like iPhone cases, clocks, belts and bags using unconventional materials like the fusion of wood and leather.
“My brand Indalo stands to represent luxury, unique, chic, fashion-forward individuals. We mostly appeal to an international target market, hence we export 90% of our products worldwide,” Gubeka says.
The designs certainly turn heads, as a lot of people simply cannot wrap their minds around how he manages to manipulate such a classically hard material like wood into stylish, fashion-forward bags and accessories.
“The biggest hurdle is sourcing components to accessorise my bags with because they aren’t readily manufactured in South Africa.
“I had to find ways to import some components from China, which is a bit of a mission,” Gubeka says.
“Also, access to markets was a bit tricky for me at first; it took some time to discover who my target market is.” Now Indalo is a hugely successful brand that boasts a solid local and international client base, with a second store in Braamfontein, Joburg, being opened recently.
His unique designs have also been made easily accessible through his website.
He says his prices vary between R650 and R6 000.
Last year, Gubeka added another accolade to his belt, this time as the first African to have a whiskey named after him when the popular brand Glenfiddich gave him the honours. Gubeka was instrumental in the design of the bottle, worth R80 000. “The ultimate goal is to make sure that my brand is available in all major countries across the globe, with standalone shops in at least every continent,” he says.
‘‘ The ultimate goal is that my brand is available in all major countries