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NEXT24 showcases 24 South African brands ready to take on the world.

An exciting curated selection of craft and design brands from all corners of South Africa,

chosen for their potential to enter the international market, will be on display as part of

NEXT24, at Decorex Cape Town from 6-9 June 2024 at the CTICC.


NEXT24

The annual NEXT trade exhibition, which was launched in 2018, is proudly presented by the

Craft and Design Institute (CDI), a South African non-profit with more than two decades of

success in developing creative people, small businesses, and the craft and design sector at

large throughout the country. The seventh iteration of NEXT will see 24 exhibitors

showcasing their wares and is coordinated by the CDI’s Fran Stewart. The exhibition is

aimed primarily at buyers who are sourcing for the global market but also accommodates

interested local retailers.


NEXT24

NEXT24 will introduce 12 new participants and will welcome back 12 former exhibitors. First-

timers include former Design Indaba Emerging Creatives Leila Atelier and Ananta Design

Studio, upcyclers Plasticity, uniquely African jewellery brands Ditakki and Zulu Mien, and

Karoo Baba’s Merino sheepskin products.


NEXT24

Overall, this year’s cohort places a strong focus on ethical design that ranges from the

sourcing of materials to the crafting processes themselves, and prioritises quality over

quantity as brand integrity is established in the international market. ‘We’ve seen some

stand-out work in our product sessions – fresh, contemporary and exciting – and we can’t

wait for the public and buyers to get a glimpse of them at Decorex,’ said Stewart.


NEXT24

All NEXT24 exhibitors are coached through the CDI’s export development programme,

which has supported more than 70 businesses since inception. This programme has been

running for several years and was initiated and run with the support of the Dutch Centre for

the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI).


NEXT24

NEXT has seen its past participants go on to further success. Last year’s NEXT23

participant Bonolo Chepape of Lulasclan, a uniquely African textile brand, recently opened a

store in The Watershed at the V&A Waterfront. For Chepape, the CDI’s export training

helped her to become ‘export-ready and to identify the sweet spots where I could possibly

improve my product and marketing. It was such a valuable programme to be in,’ she said.

Alongside the physical exhibition at Decorex Cape Town, which features pieces from all 24

participants and welcomes guests to engage with the exhibitors themselves, a digital

catalogue will be made available to those not able to attend the show.


NEXT24

There is free trade access for professional sourcing buyers, Interior designers and

decorators. Register as a trade visitor for Decorex Cape Town via


NEXT24

NEXT24 will be open during Decorex Cape Town show times, as follows:

Thursday 6 June 10h00-18h00

Friday 7 June 10h00-18h00

Saturday 8 June 10h00-18h00

Sunday 9 June 10h00-17h00


General public admission tickets to Decorex Cape Town can be bought via Howler:


NEXT24

For more information on NEXT visit https://www.thecdi.org.za/ or watch here:

CSW2s.


Follow @TheCraftDesignInstitute on Facebook and @craft_and_design_institute/ on

Instagram.

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