Whatiftheworld / designstudio

Whatiftheworld boosts emerging designers

Creative initiative whatiftheworld, which opened the doors to its second gallery at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Cape Town last August, is creating a platform for greater exposure of emerging and non-mainstream artists.

“Cape Town is home to more and more design-focused events, but awareness of non-mainstream and emerging artists is limited,” says co-owner Justin Rhodes. “There is a need for exploration of the urban fringe and the design community that inhabits these spaces. We also want to encourage collaboration with other creative collectives, both local and international, across various disciplines.”

Number One – the first in a series of projects and events for emerging designers – included an exhibition of new furniture designs and functional pieces by MURG from Bredasdorp; product design featuring Julie Dieckmann, Gregor Jenkin, Liam Mooney, Heath Nash, Frauke Stegmann and John Vermeulen; and a warehouse fashion show produced by Richard de Jager (of avant-garde knitwear label Pwhoa) featuring a selection of autumn/winter fashion collections. Designers included Dandy Savant, White Noise, Emma Coleman, Grace and Pwhoa.

• Tanya Hagen, the editor of UK Lulu magazine came to the fashion show and bought the vast majority of Richard de Jager’s collection to take back and shoot as well as to introduce to Paris Fashion Week, where she is involved in helping emerging designers get into shows;

• A buyer for American furniture design company Ameico identified Liam Mooney’s trestle tables as an import possibility and is currently presenting them to the MOMA shop. Ameico distributes to over 300 USA retailers; and

• Hong Kong’s City magazine ran a feature on the Number One project and introduced Michael Young, curator of 100% Design Tokyo to whatiftheworld, who were then asked to bring some of SA’s emerging design talent to showcase at the fair in November this year.

“An excellent response from the media and the design community has helped us see that there is a permanent platform for emerging design and we have decided to dedicate our Hope Street gallery as a full time design studio,” said Rhodes.

The next whatiftheworld design event, Number Two, is scheduled for Friday, 28 September. For more details www.whatiftheworld.com