Timber iQ August - September 2019 // Issue:45 | Page 13

EVENTS
Applications open for
young emerging creatives
The Design Indaba Emerging Creatives Programme
aims to unearth fresh new talent across a
multitude of sectors and this exciting programme
acts as a career accelerator for its participants.
www.timberiq.co.za
I
dentified as South Africa's future generation of designers by
providing an exhibition platform, support, education and
mentorship, the Design Indaba’s longstanding and much-
lauded Emerging Creatives Programme (founded in 2005) has
helped launch celebrated and vibrant young designers such as
Laduma Ngxokolo, Katherine-Mary Pichulik, Neo Mahlangu and
Andile Dyalvane.
A selected group of 50 young architects, fashion designers,
illustrators, furniture designers, jewellers, graphic designers,
filmmakers and multi-disciplinary mavericks from across South
Africa will showcase their work at the Design Indaba Festival
taking place in Cape Town at the Artscape Theatre Centre from
26 to 28 February next year. Applications for the Class of 2020
are now open.
If you’re selected as an Emerging Creative, this once-in-a-
lifetime opportunity also includes attending the Design Indaba
Simulcast, participating in a workshop, as well as networking at
the prestigious Design Indaba social events, in addition to
dedicated exhibition space at the event. Participants receive
return flights to Cape Town, accommodation for the duration of
Design Indaba Festival 2020, a profile on designindaba.com and
a year of prolonged national and international media exposure
including online video, web articles and social media posts.
“What the programme did and is still doing for my business I
could have never imagined,” says rising fashion designer
Abongile Gwele of Apples & Oranges, who was part of the 2016
Emerging Creatives programme and has since gone on to
collaborate with ex-Rhythm City actress turned producer Nolo
Phiri on her clothing line.
All of this is supported by the Design Indaba in collaboration
with the Department of Arts and Culture. Design Indaba
founded the platform to help young creatives who have
relatively little industry exposure. The programme was
established because of a strong belief in nurturing new creative
talent and knocking down the barriers to entry for those just
getting started.
The programme provides the opportunity to be inspired by
the best designers in the world and the selected participants
will get to meet leaders in the local and international design
industry. Emerging Creatives will have their work shown to both
local and prominent international media, not to mention
thousands of members of the public!
In addition, the programme is not merely a once-off
opportunity, but an ongoing network of support and exposure
that continues beyond the festival. According to festival
manager Bev Cupido, “Our mission is to commit to Emerging
Creatives not only for the year of their participation but
Furniture design is one of the categories for the Emerging
Creatives Programme.
beyond. Once welcomed into our family, it’s not just about
showcasing work at the festival but evolves into collaboration
opportunities and more. Design Indaba comes from a place of
love, a platform used as an incubator, an accelerator and a way
to turbocharge a career.”
For the 2019 festival, past Emerging Creatives participants
were commissioned to help bring the festival to life. Graphic
designer Daniel Ting Chong (Class of 2008) created the
campaign for the overall event; Thabo Makheta (Class of 2013)
and Russel Abrahams (Class of 2014) co-curated the Emerging
Creatives programme; Tshepo Makholo (Class of 2016) was a
Global Graduate speaker at the Design Indaba Conference and
became a member of the Design Indaba Projects team in May
2019; and Leah Bessa (Class of 2016) presented a Masterclass
as part of the conference line-up.
What’s more, for the past three years, Design Indaba has
commissioned its 2014 alumni, Kim and Natalie Ellis, to produce
the conference delegate bags. Other alumni, such as Crystal
Birch (Class of 2006), Ditiro Mashigo (Class of 2017), Laduma
Ngxokolo of MaXhosa (Class of 2011) and Maria Uys (Class of
2015) all took up space in the retail offering at the festival.
A world of exciting, career-enhancing opportunities await
those who are selected to participate. For more information on
how to submit an entry, visit: www.designindaba.com.
Submissions close on 30 October 2019.
// AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019
11