Wash bags by Aureum.
Hyde Park Corner is known for housing international luxury brands that include, Versace and Emporio Armani, but for the weekend it will hostaspiring designers from provinces as far as Limpopo and the Western Cape at the Sanlam Handmade Contemporary Fair.
This year the fair draws focus on the theme, “madein Africa.†According to the fair’s co-founder and Artlogic’s director andgeneral manager, Cobi Labuscagne, each year the fair zooms in on a specialproject and 2015 is no different. The fair officially opened on October 8 atHyde Park Corner, in Jo’burg.
The building’s rooftop has been transformedinto a market with about 120 exhibitors selling products that range from handbagsto ceramics.
“We have a staple of about 50% of exhibitorsthat keep coming each year and a lot of them are from Cape Town and this is theonly time Jo’burg interacts with them. The other 50% is brand new exhibitors,â€Labuscagne tells the Mail&Guardian.
Items from Trebene.
She founded the fair with Artlogic’s directorRoss Douglas in 2010 after spotting a gap in the local craftsmanship market. Itstarted out as a Christmas market that sought to celebrate craft and grew into a notable event on the market calendar.
“When we started the fair there were not alot of markets around; there wasn’t a lot of appreciation for this kind ofproduct. It was a very thin economy and we just didn’t know if it [the craftfair] was going to work but being able to find our place in the economy istruly gratifying,†says Labuscagne.
For her, the craft industry is moving moreand more towards creating individualist products – a market that she regards asniche.
“Thereare new products being brought into the market. We have a whole range ofAfrican hair care products this year.†Labuscagne adds that wood is currently apopular craft material.
Leg Studios’s twil tattoo top
“This industry is less trend focused becauseit’s so much about your personal passion. The turnover is so much slower – it’snot really from season to season so a lot of the producers who’ve been cominghere for five years, bring similar products each year because that is what theyare really good at.â€
New exhibitors include Suki Suki Naturals, anAfrican natural hair care line, and Benji + Moon, which specialises inhandcrafted items for dogs and cats. Benji + Moon is officially launching itsproducts at the fair. Their products include handmade dog and cat beds andleather collars, to name a few.
Suki Suki hair products
“This [fair] is our tester. We are throwingourselves into the market to see what works and what doesn’t. It will be our first time showing our products tothe public and we are very excited about it,†says Hanneke Schutte, who founded the brand with her friend KarenCarr.
Going forward, Labuscagne hopes the fair willcontinue to grow steadily. “We get a good amount of visitors each year. My hopeis to continue with the fair and to strength the relationships with ouraudiences and exhibitors.”
The Sanlam Handmade Contemporary Fair runs from October 9 – 11. For more info on the fair times and ticket prices visit sanlamhmc.co.za.
