Handmade Collection Review

So, as I mentioned last week, I flew up to Joburg to visit the Handmade Collection at Decorex. I’m glad I went, as it’s important that I stay in touch with what’s out there. The overall organisation was great, and I was really impressed with the branding of the expo – like the posters and booklets, all looking fabulous with contemporary background designs.

I also loved the all-in-white display which greeted us as we arrived.

There were tons of different stands to look at but obviously my attention was drawn to the ones showing things made by social projects. One of my favourites of these was Khumbulani’s – actually, I think they won a gold award for it.

Then there was Aid to Artisans, with the most gorgeous woven products on display. So nice to see traditional skills being used to create contemporary designs. Just adore the pink flamingos!

It was also really good to chat to the employees of this organisation about some of the amazing things that they’re doing. I so hope that Babazeka and ATA can work together in the future.
And of course, there was the wonderful Mongoose. Their products as popular as ever.

I managed to find some new suppliers who I hope to bring on board. One of them, Tswelopele, make bags out of old billboards. I’ve seen this before in magazines, so was really pleased to see their things up close – love the fact that they’re recycling, and also just love the bright colours.

Anyway, all in all I really enjoyed the visit and all that the expo had to offer. I’m hoping, though, that next year I’ll be visiting as an exhibitor – showing our new Babazeka Designs. Here’s to that!

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