Hot Young Designers of SA
Young Designers are making their mark in the creative industry and it’s hard to ignore. From fashion and textile to furniture design, young black creatives are setting a new standard in the design industry, while also having a significant international market through Portal to Africa. The designers here have also been listed as finalists in the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search. While the ones listed below are definitely our favorites, they are definitely not the only ones. Check them below and add some of yours if we’ve left anyone out.
Ditiro Mashigo
The Pretoria-born, 27 year-old fashion, textile and surface designer studied fashion and textile design at Tshwane University of Technology. The young designer often upcycles clothes and sells furniture online. This year, Ditiro hit another milestone for being named the new designer for the Grammy-Award winning group, Soweto Gospel Choir.
Laduma Ngxokolo
Laduma Ngxokolo is already a force to be reckoned with in the world of design. The founder and designer of MaXhosa, the Xhosa-inspired knitwear brand, has been endorsed by celebs such as Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Beyonce and Raphael Saadiq. The designer recently launched a homeware range which is pictured below.
Bonolo Helen Chepape
The 26 year-old, Rustenburg-born textile designer, Bonolo Chepape, left her job as a graphic designer to start her own textile company called LulasClan. Today, Bonolo is not only a Hot Young Designer, she is also the recipient of the Design Foundation’s Future Found Award, an award which celebrates designers who are excelling in entrepreneurship. She also has created prints for fashion brands like Mantsho by Palesa Mokubung and House of Fabrosanz. Enough said?
Thabiso Mjo
Thabiso Mjo is a designer on a mission to reimagine the African aesthetic through contemporary art. Founder of Mash T. Design, Thabiso Mjo is the designer of 2018’s Design Indaba’s 2018 Most Beautiful Object in South Africa for her ballerina tutu inspired chandelier, pictured below. The designer has also become the creative ambassador for Brand South Africa and the furniture designer for Saint restaurant in Sandton .
Mpho Vackier
Mpho Vackier is a former process engineer in the mining industry, turned furniture and product designer in the creative industry. While her engineering background influences the practicality in her daring design pieces, her work includes (but isn’t limited to) combining classic European furniture and bold geometric styles from Ndebele textiles. Mpho is also the founder of TheUrbanative and was named Designer of the Year in 2019.
