Upcoming Decorex Cape Town can’t be defined by a mere list of reasons to visit!
Trying to reduce over 250+ leading brands, stimulating speakers, inaugural product appearances, new collection launches, exhibitions and bespoke features into a handy listicle is to diminish the relevance and impact of this powerhouse of African design.
The re-imagined Decorex Africa is positioned to move the industry into new territories of collaboration, inspiration and innovation. Because we couldn’t possibly cover all of it, here’s a small sampling of why you should head to the CTICC from 16 - 19 June 2022…
YOU’LL SEE IT IN PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME
No more jumping through hoops
Hoop is a new furniture company that will launch to the public for the first time at Decorex Cape Town. Setting out to rethink the way furniture is made and sold in South Africa, they aim to bring better furniture to more people. “We make flat-pack, solid wood furniture that’s a joy to assemble, rather than a shlep,” says this exciting new brand.
Lloyd and clear
Decorex Cape Town will be the first time that Studio Lloyd’s new product collection will be presented physically and seen in public. Show visitors will get a chance to sit on the studio’s fabulous new daybed and see details of pieces up close.
Award-winning
Cape Town design stalwarts Pedersen & Lennard have been commissioned to design the new Decorex Stand Award Trophy, which will be bestowed on those exhibiting industry excellence, whether mavericks or mavens. Look out for the winners – and their stylish trophies – at the show.
Not conservative
Yaniv Chen from Master Studio is launching his new Conservatory collection. He sets out to “create spaces of nostalgia; interiors that link past and present.”
Villa Filler
Cape Town-based design studio Bofred is launching its new Villa Collection. Each piece in the collection is “a quiet call to adventure - a reminder that a great big world awaits, and that it's filled with boundless beauty…”
A new perspective on women in architecture
Herperspective is a public participation project focused on women in architecture. As part of an expanding digital archive, Herperspective will present a physical exhibition at the Cape Town show. Its mission is to grow a database of women who have made a positive impact on the built environment, with a focus on the Global South.
Young designers with Clout
Clout/SA will present a riveting retrospective of eight years of pieces by Hot Young Designers (HYD) in association with Nando’s. The exhibition will highlight seminal works as well as more current iterations by a rising tide of new names. This exuberant expression of young design is impeccably timed for Youth Day on June 16, which is when Decorex Cape Town first opens.
What’s Next?
NEXT22 will display 28 export-ready local brands, clustered together in one curated hub presented by Craft + Design Institute (CDI) and Decorex Africa. In addition to existing lines there will be a spread of new products by the likes of master weaver Angeline Masuku and social enterprise Woza Moya, which will be representing a group of KwaZulu-Natal-based artists.
KEY SHOW FEATURES AND ACTIVITIES
The Best Bar in the City
A gathering place for networking, business meetings and a fantastic tipple to boot, the Decorex Bar speaks “to one of the key responsibilities of the show, which is creating connections,” says creative director Bielle Bellingham.
Almost too good to eat!
Decorex Africa ambassador Cassandra Twala has re-imagined African beadwork in her treatment of the bespoke Njano Eatery, the foodie hub at the heart of the show, created especially for the show. Her restaurant design uses traditional beads that have been re-imagined at contemporary scale as a driving motif, reconciling both past and present realities, while imagining an alternative future for African craft.
Host with the most
Cultural activist Nandi Dlepu is the MC for the new Design Summit talks taking place over one day, proudly presented by ASUS. She will introduce a powerful mix of local and Pan-African designers who are joining the charge to reimagine design on the African continent.
State of the Industry Report 2022
Decorex Africa has identified that there is a need for useful qualitative and quantitative research on how things have shifted, and in accordance, will release its first-ever State of the Industry Report at Decorex Cape Town. This comprehensive overview of the industry has been researched by trend forecaster Chris Reid on behalf of Decorex Africa and is essential reading for the industry in benchmarking how design is doing business now.
Are you sitting down?
100% Chair is an all-new showcase of original pieces, providing a sterling opportunity for designers to really show their thinking. Curator Bielle Bellingham has pushed the participants to launch designs the public has not seen before. Master Studio, James Mudge, Pedersen & Lennard, Haldane Martin, Outlander and Bofred are among the designers who’ll be taking a seat… Expect to enter into a debate about this indispensable object with an exhibit that unseats concepts around the meaning of “good design” as much as honouring its historic legacy as a form of throne.
100% Transparency
100% Transparency is a radical showcase of the power of transparency in design from both a figurative and literal perspective. This exhibit is curated to include a range of small independents and large industrial brands and will feature a number of all-new pieces that incorporate transparency either as a material (glass, clear plastic, voile and so on) or as a process or design philosophy.
100 Flavours
Culinary designer Hannerie Visser of Studio H will present a contemplation on the edible in a beautifully mounted display. If food is your jam - and bread - then head for the interactive Samsung Cooking Theatre, too.
And we’re just getting started on what to see... For all that the show has to offer, make a bee-line for the CTICC!
Decorex Cape Town is open on the following days:
Thursday 2022 10h00 – 18h00
Friday + Saturday 10h00 – 18h00
Sunday 10h00 – 17h00
Get your tickets at iTickets – visit itickets.co.za/events to book.
For more information visit www.decorex.co.za. Diarise for Decorex Joburg from 28-31 July 2022 at the Sandton Convention Centre.