Celebrate Life – Gifted Designers
We recognise four afrocentric designers who continue to offer us dynamic and culturally layered creations
TINA NGXOKOLO,
33,
Fashion Designer and Creative Director of MaXhosa
“The shape of the showstopper dress in the Amasiko Nezithethe line is a traditional A-line which has been used in Western designs for centuries. But I had to bring it back to what resonates with me – the dress is bold and daring yet sophisticated and classy, featuring the MaXhosa signature patterns and combination of colours. The geometric shapes knitted from silk yarn are cut, individually handlinked and sewn onto the dress. The individual shapes start off with no gaps in-between them on top and then scatter out in the lower part of the dress. This, for me, represents me and my siblings as a small tight family unit. It represents how we are growing close, even, while on our respective journeys of finding our own paths — and how we still have the same shape and values while discovering our own rhythm along the way.”
THABISA MJO, 31,
Owner and Founder of Mash. T Design Studio “The Tutu 2.0 lamp — which won the Design Indaba’s Most Beautiful Object in South Africa title in 2018 — was inspired by the Xibelani skirt worn by Tsonga women. My work is about combining traditional crafts and technology to create a contemporary South African design aesthetic. I love collaborations and using design as a medium for storytelling. This gives me the opportunity to work with women who have incredible craft skills, such as weavers, and many others. It enables me to share this incredible skill with the rest of the world, and it’s also a wonderful way for the crafters to use their heritage to create economic opportunities for themselves. I think representation is of the utmost importance. I want our people to see themselves and their stories represented in spaces that we were previously kept out of. I want our stories and products captured in elegant, beautiful and innovative ways.”
S’PHELELE CHIKOWI, 39,
Owner and Founder of Home with NtoZinhle and NtoZinhle Accessories
“I started out with unique and beautifully hand-assembled African beadwork accessories, then introduced beaded leather belts and bags. Home with NtoZinhle seemed like the next logical step for my business. There was also the lack of African-inspired décor items in commercial stores. With my African-inspired decorations, I wanted to teach people that your house can still be trendy, relevant and have an African feel, without it looking like a flea market. I started Home with NtoZinhle with the aim of giving people the choice of authentic, high quality African tribal décor pieces that have been skilfully crafted by local women. I wanted to produce designs that were versatile enough to offer a slightly contemporary approach to traditional pieces, and still have people recognise themselves in them.”
KOKETSO MOHLALA, 30,
Owner and Founder of Ditsala Designs
“My creations were born out of my frustration of seeing Africans absorbing standards and trends set by Europeans. I asked myself, ‘What is the point of multiculturalism if we are all becoming one? Same ethics, same dress code, same attitude, same way of thinking, same hair and socialisation — where is the richness in that if Africa looks like Europe? There would be songs we would never hear, histories we would never know and art we would never see. I feel that instead of protecting our history and sharing it with the world, we are just copying the trends. By starting Ditsala Designs, I became the change I’d always wanted to see in the world. Not only do I want to leave a legacy, I also want to promote our rich, colourful, stylish and classy heritage.”