Absa creates Democratic Republic of Design campaign for Design Indaba

Attendees of the conference can win prizes through innovative app

The DRD app (iphone/android/blackberry) app is bold and easy to navigate

As one of the country’s leading sponsors of design-related events and initiatives, Absa is once again a headline sponsor of this year’s Design Indaba Conference, taking place from 27 February to 1 March 2013. To promote its sponsorship and drive home its support for the local design community, the bank has adopted an imaginative and creative campaign for the event.

Design Indaba is known for supporting and encouraging creativity that embraces every aspect of the world around us. Absa’s campaign taps directly into this by demonstrating that design is the real backbone of a country’s economy. To communicate this, Absa has repackaged the world of design as a country, the so-called Democratic Republic of Design.

Get the Design Indaba programme updates through the DRD app

Delegates share inspirational experiences at Design Indaba by tweeting, posting photos and attending lectures. Absa will invite these delegates to become citizens of the Democratic Republic of Design (DRD). The DRD is a virtual country where, above all else, design and inspiration rule. In the DRD, capturing and sharing inspiration has a value, a worth that makes both the citizens and the country as a whole richer.

Share through social networks and move on up in the rewards programme

Delegates simply need to download the free app to become DRD citizens, and then tweet and post photos about the conference to earn virtual currency – design dollars (D$). These dollars can be spent at the DRD Concept Store. Delegates can also earn D$ for their fellow citizens, by “liking” their tweets and photos.

DRD President for the day reward

In addition to earning D$, the daily highest earning representative will become president of the DRD and receive a VIP experience that evening for themselves and a friend. The top ten daily highest earning and 10 (randomly selected) representatives will go into the grand prize draw to win an all-expenses-paid VIP trip to Design Indaba 2014.

The DRD app will be available for download at the iStore before Design Indaba gets underway, and while it will have no live-streaming content then, it will be populated with speaker information and profiles, general conference news and programming and information about DRD products that will be on sale.

DRD app for apple, android and blackberry devices

Follow the campaign on Twitter

@theDRD2013

Or get involved with the following hashtag

 #DRD2013

For more information, please visit

 www.thedrd.co.za

 

This post is proudly sponsored by Jupiter Drawing Room in Cape Town and posted by Laverne Wyatt-Skriubakken

Sweet Pea Creations

They are a small gift shop located in the KZN Midlands with everything crafted in South Africa and some products made especially and only for us! Not only just a shop filled with pink hearts, wooden words, beautiful flowers but also proudly supporting South African hand made products, taking an initiative to work with locals to bring out the beauty spark in creativity and paying visit to local markets showcasing their products, so keep up-to-date about their whereabouts by joining them on FACEBOOK, get updates and share their beauty of art with others… Who knows, the next stop might be around your area..

Opened up in November 2011 and their products come from all over South Africa. They love handmade dolls, hearts – in all shapes and sizes, bunting, wooden words, handcrafted bags, crochet goodies and anything in pink!

Proudly South African Art Dexterity inspired by African nature
and children’s love and view of mother nature. Their products are love
inspired with a pink theme which expresses innocent and young love. The
different colours on their dolls and hearts express the simplicity and
yet elegance of the ideas behind,yet promoting humility and modesty ,not forgetting the funkiness and transparency of our little angel’s fashion ideas, whilst pink remaining the colour of the day which relates to our young stars.

Visit their Gorgeous Gift Shop
Contact:
Lorna Symons
Sweet Pea Creations
KZN Midlands
082 4987412
Email Lorna Symons
and if you on the N3 Freeway, turn right at the Nottingham road exit, Linga Lapa (restuarant, farmstall, biltong) – look for BILTONG sign on the roof, about 5 min from the Mooi River toll and 15 minutes from Howick/Tweedie exit, Midlands Meander, Kwazulu Natal

Pamplmousse Clothing’s

Proud to introduce Pamplmousse Clothing’s

Distributed internationally from Antwerp, Belgium,Pampl’mousse garments are all
designed by young South African talented designers, this making them instant vintage.

The collections are manufactured in South Africa by hand making that fabrics are
still cut the old fashion way and put together in small ateliers by locals, thus
empowering the local community and reducing child labor.

We use bright colors and soft fabrics to reflect the innocence of childhood. We
understand that the clothes that children wear have a big impact as to how they play and interact.

“Express your self through colors”

Pampl’mousse remains faithful to its concept:
• Hand Made in South Africa
• Eco and Soft Fabrics
• Bright colors
• Ethnic prints

Check out Pampl Mousse Hot Selling items at

PamplMousse

Regards

Maria Foster

South African fashion shoot in Oslo

South African fashion shoot in Norway.

We had loads of fun and stress, shooting our first Spring/Summer range last month. The clothes, as you all know now, are from South African designers and are just fantastic.
Mads was the photographer, and he shot for over 12 hours in studio. The lovely ladies involved were students who volunteered their time and beautiful faces for the sake of promoting S.A. fashion and spirit in Norway.

Below are a few pics, soon they will be up on the mzansi-life.com website where you can shop for the items.

Loving the mZansi-Life

It was -10 that evening but a warm +25 in our hearts as we celebrated the ‘mZansi-Life’ in Oslo last weekend. All South Africans know the mZansi-Life. It’s the life that many here in Norway yearn for. The life of sunshine and colour. Orange and green instead of grey, black and white. Choice instead of chain stores. Sunshine instead of grey skies.

I left my good Art Director job in Durban and moved to Oslo 10 months ago. It was not the crime or general frustration most South Africans site for leaving. Rather it was love. I had fallen in love with a viking and now was to leave my life behind and move to the coveted Scandinavia. Taking on ‘love immigrant’ status was harder than I thought. I found myself bewildered at this new life. Everything I had come to know and love of South Africa was suddenly gone, the fashion, the colour, the options, the people! I was wishing for that life again, the mZansi-Life so much I began to blog about it.

Why write all this? To empty my heart out and speak of my experience. To show that a wish can lead to a blog, which leads to a business doing something I absolutely love and needed to do.

mZansi-Life is that business which seeks to bring the Southern Life to Norway by promoting talented independent fashion designers in South Africa. Designers such as Miss Moneypenny, Muti and Beadworkz are the first to be welcomed under the mZansi-Life umbrella brand. Their style and story struck a chord at the pre-launch party last weekend.

Wonderful woman from all over the world living in Oslo responded to the invite; sushi, wine and clothes! Ladies from Germany, Burundi, South Africa, Britain and Norway all said the same thing:

We want colour.

We want choice.

And we want to know the story behind our clothes.

And South African designers answered. The party was a great success. The fashion was embraced and sparked an interest in S.A. design which is set to grow this summer in Norway. Miss Moneypenny was loved for her uniqueness and recycled vintage sari fabric. Beadworkz for the time and love put into every necklace and for supporting their community. Muti, for the original illustrative design of Clint Campbell.

I had to sit back and breathe a sigh of relief afterwards. It was like watching a baby being born. mZansi-Life took its first steps and is set to grow this summer. Next we plan a Spring Launch party and a fashion show. Who knows where from there?

There might be a chance to enjoy the mZansi-Life in the far North after all. 🙂

love

mzansi madame

P.S. I will be in South Africa this coming month looking for new designers. If you are one or know of one with good quality work, let’s chat!

Here, Bokkie bokkie

Original, available online, shipped worldwide and prrrroudly Souf African. Find Bokkie here, buy Bokkie there and read more about the artist behind it.

Promoting S.A. design in Ozzie

Meet Lynn Stockdale, the lady promoting S.A. design in Ozzie through her online store Ikaya. Ikhaya means ‘home’ in Zulu. They sell Modern African Homewares that bring the warm spirit of the Rainbow Nation to Australia. Ikhaya sources fun, quirky products from South Africa & surrounding African countries. You can shop here or read an interview with Lynn.

Dizzy Dezigns

Dizzy Dezigns is the label owned and run by Colleen Roberts a designer, printer and crafter. She specialises in creating retro floral graphics which are then applied to cushions, tea towels, etc. and are sold via Etsy (an online shopping site). A wonderful lady to do business with, I have two of her cushion covers which I am happy with, the quality is great. Read her blog or visit her Flickr page for info.