Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Bulelani Magwanishe said the annual competition falls within one of the various directives of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) that strives to elevate the country’s furniture manufacturing capabilities.
“We have realised that furniture design is one area that is still very much in need of development and believe that once the concept of design is embraced in the industry, it will reinvent the way business is done. This competition will also ensure that we are able to identify and nurture new talent, which we will introduce into this sector,” said the Deputy Minister on Thursday.
This year’s competition - under the theme 'Storage' - will require that competitors tap into their innovative reserves to create designs that will not only respond to people’s ever-changing spatial needs, but also to ways that they live their lives and make use of space for residence.
The brief includes that the designs must promote innovation, be significantly made out of wood, movable, appeal to the export market and have a specific consumer target in mind.
The 2018 instalment is anticipated to showcase more spectacular pieces that will exhibit South Africa’s furniture design potential.
The winners of the competition, which will be held at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, will be announced on 23 February.
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