This weekend saw the rooftop of Hyde Park Corner transformed from a parking lot into a shopping and social experience as the annual Sanlam Handmade Contemporary Fair returns to Joburg, bringing with it over 120 food, wine and design producers from around South Africa. Over the past seven years, the fair has become the place to discover new talent and new products. We asked Roberta Thatcher, Sunday Times Home contributor and the event’s curator, for her list of the 10 new exhibitors she’s been keeping an eye on.
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- Mia Mélange’s versatile handwoven baskets have an understated beauty. They’ll also be launching a collaborative capsule collection of luxury handbags with leather brand Ilundi.
- Room 13 Collection will be launching their new collection of textiles, including a range of décor smalls, accessories, wallpapers and more.
- We’re really excited to welcome Vogel Design to this year’s event. They’ll be bringing their new range of wall mounts and collectable tables, all of which are designed using offcuts from their factory. It’s great that designers are looking into ways to minimise their waste.
- Zoja Jewellery will be at there with their range of contrasting delicate and chunky ornaments, including gilded silver rings, neck pieces and earrings, many of which are set with hand-selected rough-cut gems.
- Douglas & Co have caught the eye of the design scene both locally and abroad with their sleek and sophisticated furniture range, and they will be bringing their newly launched pieces to the fair.
- Blandat products are irresistible with their playful prints and illustrations. Designer Debby van der Veer plasters her crazy graphics all over her range of wallpapers, scarves, kimonos and décor accessories.
- Douglas & Douglas will be flying from Durban to show their furniture. I love the balance of simplicity vs quirkiness in all their pieces.
- At risk of sounding like a handbag addict, I’m also thrilled that Hamethop will be joining us. Designer Tsakani Mashaba works with master crafters and weavers in Johannesburg, Dakar and Cape Town and her bags tick all the boxes of art, tradition, freshness and craftsmanship.
- Flaunt Concepts is a new brand I’ve been keeping my eye on. Living in a small space myself, I love designer Ashleigh Harrington’s practical and stylish storage solutions.
- A really exciting focus of this year’s event is that we’ve extended our borders and, together with Sanlam, have invited five international exhibitors from other African countries. I can’t wait to get my hands on a handbag from Ghanaian brand A A K S.
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This article originally appeared in the Sunday Times Lifestyle Magazine: timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/decor