Designing tomorrow

Western designers still think that everything that happens in Africa is vernacular, and that we’re behind in some way,” says designer Peet Pienaar, one of Africa’s greatest design champions. “But Western design is not the default, and that is critical to remember.”

This misperception overlooks the fact that African design is solution-based, ahead of its time, and imbued with an unyielding life force. This is an industry that makes quantum leaps through visionary solutions, originality, resilience, ingenuity, and respect for both heritage and technology.

By leveraging our nuanced talents and addressing, among others, infrastructure, market access, and sustainability challenges, South Africa can become a global design leader. Strategic collaboration, targeted investment, and the adoption of advanced technology and R&D are key to realising designers’ directional vision and potential.

Amplified by the continent’s rapid growth and youthful dynamism, Africa is a reservoir of artistry and aptitude. The well-documented demographic change that it is experiencing is both a challenge and an opportunity, propelling the younger generation to the vanguard of culture. Globalisation and social media have also created new interactions between the Global North and the Global South, enriching and adding potency and tensile strength to the industry.

South Africa’s contemporary designers continue to take pride in traditional crafts and ideas, preserving heritage while integrating global influences and tech. The use of 3D printing, augmented reality, and virtual reality is opening up new possibilities for combining indigenous knowledge with future-facing advancements. This powerful blend of technology, consciousness, and material exploration is a signature of this country’s design legacy, which continues to find solutions to global challenges.

The design sector also contributes to the economy, creating jobs and enabling innovation and efficiency through design thinking, which drives growth and optimism, two key performance indicators (KPIs) in the future. Other future KPIs are sustainability metrics, social impact measures (such as community engagement and empowerment), and the preservation of cultural heritage. Innovation rates, including the number of new patents and the adoption of new technologies, are another way of tracking progress. Ultimately, creating a resilient and adaptable design ecosystem that responds to both market demands and environmental challenges is critical. We need to come up with solutions that outsmart old barriers and open up new horizons.

Worldwide, design and production systems need to shift from a linear to a circular model. This systemic change requires collaborative international partnerships and initiatives. Africa has the opportunity to adopt a new form of industrialisation that is regenerative, ensuring that we don’t continue to decimate the planet or exploit people. By shaping a future that promotes environmental stewardship and social well-being, we can avoid the failures of the past.

Currently, Africa accounts for less than 2% of global manufacturing output. Industrialising and moving up the value chain, such as producing garments locally instead of exporting raw cotton, is crucial for transformation. Investments in infrastructure such as ports, roads, and railways, and leveraging trade agreements such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, will further integrate African economies into global supply chains.

Our future demands commercially viable solutions that are ecologically and socially responsive, which depend on our collective determination to bring about meaningful change. Traditional wisdom must work with advanced technology to develop contextual and interconnected systems and solutions that support local economies and biodiversity, dismantle historical power imbalances, and ensure equitable access to resources.

This vision integrates smart infrastructure with culturally relevant solutions, creating a resilient industry that can compete confidently on the global stage. Investment in our design sector will create an environment where design thrives and is celebrated. This is the key mandate of 100% Design Africa, the continent’s largest curated design platform. This exhibition features over 70 brands, highlighting the diversity and talent within the industry and community. It is an inclusive and dynamic showcase that embodies the spirit of experimentation. South African design is culturally rich and forward-thinking.

We need to continue to build an industry that not only respects our heritage but also sets new standards. And this is not just up to designers — it’s up to all of us to make this work. From consumers and retailers to manufacturers and policymakers, we all need to work together to make this vision a reality.

Bielle Bellingham is the executive creative director of 100% Design Africa and Decorex Africa

• From the August edition of Wanted, 2024.