Watch The Throne

There’s a new class of creatives in town –confident, collaborative, relevant – and they’re redefining SA design.

- Piet Smedy, Julia Freemantle, Cayleigh Bright, Edwain Steenkamp

The Makers

Sifiso Shange

Afri Modern

Sifiso Shange is promoting a proudly individual African identity. Through design, he tells the story of who he is and where he’s come from. ‘Design represents freedom to me. It represents the powerful act of having a positive, creative voice and being able to share my experiences through it,’ he says. It’s kudos to this philosophy that saw him named Best New Talent at 100% Design SA earlier this year.

Sifiso’s overarching themes in the pieces under his Afri Modern lifestyle banner are storytelling and love. ‘The story is the heart and soul of my furniture,’ he says. He uses the medium of modern storytelling to share traditional stories from his culture – via ideals that range from Izindaba Zothando (loving one another) to Izindaba Zokuthandana (the beauty of unity).

While these concepts are rooted in Sifiso’s culture, they’re universal themes and as such his work bridges past, present and future – and place. Sifiso’s graphic, energetic, contemporary designs serve as a meeting place for concept and aesthetic. His execution is slick and exciting, which positions him at the forefront of contemporary African design. As he grows, his goal remains to use design as a way to connect. ‘I love other creatives and how they express themselves. I’m inspired by how unique we are, but also connected at the same time.’ Afri Modern

Ivan McCarthy Peens

Meuble Fine Furniture