Constructus, launched last year, aims to support local majority black-owned creative entrepreneurs and transform the local industry. As well as the Constructus Award grant, a three-day workshop was held in Cape Town, attended by 20 local small creative businesses, where industry leaders shared their insight in developing and growing brands and businesses.
"We believe that creative entrepreneurship is vital in not only growing the local creative industry, but also in building a culture of innovation and job creation in our local economy. By offering support to creative enterprises that are majority black-owned, we hope to help transform Cape Town's creative industry. We want to turn big ideas into practical business models and creative solutions into entrepreneurial reality," explained Claire Cobbledick, MD at TDJR.
Each of the attendees of the workshop submitted proposals on how they intended on growing their business, using insights gained from the workshops.
"The judges were impressed with 2Bop's proposal, which showed a solid basis for growth and expansion, both locally and internationally. We also wanted to make sure that the winning business had wider spin-off benefits, and 2Bop's policy of using local manufacturers and suppliers means that there is a greater long-term benefit for the local industry," said Batandwa Alperstein, who is overseeing the Constructus programme at TJDR.
2Bop (@2Bop) was founded in 2004 and provides street wear inspired by classic video game culture. The name comes from local slang for 2 bob, pronounced "2 bop", the twenty cent pieces used to play arcade games in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
2Bop plans on using the grant money and expertise gained from the project to grow the business internationally in 2012. The grant will assist the company to attend and have a presence at a number of international trade shows, as well as streamline and expand the production process and online store. The company also plans to invest in an in-house studio to shoot products and look books.
For more on 2Bop, go to www.twobop.co.za.
For more on Constructus, go to www.constructus.co.za.
