Header Courtesy of Design Week South Africa
Two cities, two weeks, and hundreds of moments of exchange: Design Week South Africa returned for its second edition in Johannesburg from October 9–12 and Cape Town from October 23–26, reaffirming its role as a national platform for design, dialogue and urban imagination.
Johannesburg
Johannesburg opened with Morning Sessions at here.joburg in Rosebank, hosted by Simone Schultz. Each morning, local and international voices set the tone with discussions on design’s role in shaping practice and place.
Mapping Memories at 27 Boxes turned the city into an emotional atlas through a participatory installation and workshop. Threads of Renewal II, curated by Tandekile Mkize at The Library of Things We Forgot To Remember, highlighted textiles and crafts with a contemporary lens.
At TONIC’s Parktown North showroom, Andile Buka launched Ari’s Listening Room, a series of sound-based encounters where artists and collectors explored listening as design. The Structures exhibition at JCAF opened to guided tours that examined form and the built environment in the broader Worldmaking series.
Film was present through the Reel to Reality Festival at Lang de Moun Mon, blending African and diasporic storytelling with the outdoors. Community came to the fore at the Annual Kasiology Festival in Soweto, curated by Creative20 and Jozi My Jozi. Young Urbanists led a walk along Lilian Ngoyi Street, unpacking how engineering and planning are reshaping public space.
Victoria Yards became a hub with What Is African Streetwear? by FRNDLY SA, a Tufting Workshop with FybRe Studios, and a Garden Day Celebration with urban farmer Siyabonga Ndlangamandla. The weekend closed with the Babize Bonke panel at Nando’s Central Kitchen, where Jozi My Jozi spotlighted collaborative storytelling and design-led community building.
Cape Town
Cape Town’s programme opened with a launch at One Park and closed at Cape Grace Hotel with Jazz Alley, framing four days of dense programming.
Highlights included The Things We Love exhibition curated by Simone Schultz with Bielle Bellingham, where creatives such as Masego Morgan, Koos Groenewald and Onesimo Bam presented their favourite locally designed objects. Morning Sessions shifted to Max Bagels at One Park, bringing together voices like Yoko Choy of Wallpaper China, Amy Thompson of Yes & Studio, and Star Shongwe of V&A Watershed.
Studios and spaces opened their doors, including Wiid Design, Hoi P’loy, Skinny laMinx, and the Longkoof Precinct in Park Road with dhk architects and Studio Mass.
Cape Town also staged product launches from Cape Cobra, Curacion Collection, Yamkela Mhlelehlele, and a MAISON KOTR installation at Arthur’s Mini Super in Sea Point. Locha Design activated the street outside One Park with the new Akan outdoor collection.
Open Langa transformed King Langa Libalele and Lerotholi Avenue into a pedestrianised corridor anchored by the ReBuilt Cape Town exhibition, in collaboration with Bauhaus Earth, the Masakhe Foundation, and the African Centre for Cities. The Active Mobility Forum led community rides from the CBD and Khayelitsha, while Young Urbanists and UTTE hosted a rare site visit to the Soweto-Caracas Community Centre in Khayelitsha.
The V&A Watershed consolidated its position as a hub for local makers, offering creative walks, exhibitions, talks, and workshops with names such as Nammu Ceramics, Pichulik, and Suzanne Elizabeth.
A National Conversation
The 2025 edition positioned design not just as a showcase but as a catalyst. From textiles to urban planning, from listening rooms to township festivals, the week demonstrated how South African creativity spans disciplines while addressing social change, economic opportunity and cultural identity.
Curated by Margot Molyneux, Zanele Kumalo, Roland Postma, and Simone Schultz, the programme was intentionally dense, encouraging visitors to curate their own journey through a landscape where design is both an everyday practice and a tool for reimagining the future.
Follow @designweeksouthafrica to keep up with the next chapter.
