5 local creatives selected for retail incubator, Watershed Design Lab

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The 2024 cohort includes Tiger Lily Tots, Thabo Makhetha, Lindo Leather, Meraki Accessories and Shumba Bags and Accessories.

Along with passion and dedication to their craft, these candidates have demonstrated a strong drive to succeed in the retail space, which is why the CDI – with its focus on uplifting business owners by developing their businesses and nurturing their entrepreneurial skills – and the V&A selected them for the Design Lab.

This incoming group will replace outgoing brands that have since graduated from the Design Lab space after completing extensive training and gaining real-time store experience. The new collective is set to begin a similar journey. The total value of sales generated by the previous cohort while stationed in the Design Lab was over R1,24m.

Led by Group CEO Erica Elk, the CDI has been developing creative careers and supporting Small and Medium Size Enterprises for more than 20 years.

The Design Lab is among the CDI’s most successful initiatives, due in no small part to its location at the Watershed, a vibrant craft and design space bursting with fresh fashion, art and flavour situated in one of Africa's most visited neighbourhoods.

A living retail ‘laboratory’

“There is something really fresh, authentic and honest about the products that are coming out of South Africa today. We are particularly excited to help a new cohort of local entrepreneurs to leverage their incredible artistry into commercial success,” says Elk.

The Design Lab was created to facilitate a real-world retail experience in a supported environment. The five new designer brands joining the incubator will undergo a 16-month training programme – also described as a living retail ‘laboratory’.

During this time, they will refine their products and gain essential business skills, preparing them to thrive in a retail setting before occupying store space for a year.

Since welcoming its inaugural cohort in 2021, the Design Lab has nurtured a growing number of small business owners, with four to eight individuals occupying the space each year.

The programme receives ongoing support from Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) to market and raise awareness to drive traffic to the store.