Posted by Leonard Steinberg on December 23rd, 2013

I am visiting my hometown, Cape Town, South Africa, which has been designated the World Design Capital for 2014. Cape Town is a melting pot of design influences from Europe, Africa and the Far East, in a city known for it hugely diverse cultural mix. These influences certainly translate into some interesting design, yet it can be tough to find…..

While walking through the V & A Waterfront Mall last night, considered by many to be one of the best designed malls in the world for its clever planning and architecture that incorporates lots of natural light, mixing the new with the original old harbor architecture, with a multitude of entertainment, dining and shopping options plus world-class hotels and high-end condominiums (with great security), I was somewhat dismayed by the same old expected mix of internationally recognizable brands. The sameness was sad in a way:  Burberry, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, blah, blah, blah. I could have been in Dubai, Westchester, Tokyo, Munich, anywhere and seen the exact same labels. While this certainly puts Cape Town in the ‘international leagues’ which is a good thing, its also very sad that the fruits of the DESIGN CAPITAL of the world for 2014 are not well represented in this mall. I saw nothing distinctively South African aside from the tedious curio shops.

The horrible trend of sameness is tragic in my opinion. With the rich design possibilities in South Africa, not to mention a desperate need for jobs, I think a huge opportunity exists to create unique, wonderful, authentic products that say SOUTH AFRICAN that are both indigenous yet equally appropriate on the world stage. Architecturally I see throughout Cape Town a desperate need to look INTERNATIONAL……yes this is good for attracting foreign buyers, but maybe the combination of international elements that satisfy a certain need combined with more authentic elements and materials would be better?

If every city starts to look alike, if all products sold are the same globally, how dull will this earth become? So hopefully Cape Town being designated a World Design Capital will inspire all to look inwards and create in a more authentic manner, one that inspires the consumer to say: “Ah-hah: now that was designed in South Africa!”