The Local Designers - A Multifunctional Space in Woodstock Showcasing Up-and-coming Creatives

Shop around, exhibit your craft, or have your garments tailor made, all in one dynamic creative space

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Cape Town is bursting at the seams with creative talent and they’ve just been gifted an exciting new space to present their work, thanks to The Local Designers.

The Local Designers, a hot new creative space that opened in trendy Woodstock in August 2017, is offering these talented designers a place to exhibit and sell their work, as well as hone their skills. As such, The Local Designers is both a retail space and a platform for aspiring and established designers to sell their wares in a more cost-effective way, as it can be very expensive to rent space in more prime locations and shopping centres.

Founded by Siddiq and Hadjierah Howell, who come from marketing and fashion design backgrounds respectively, the duo understand that starting a business can be both daunting and costly. Their vision for this venture is best summed up by Siddiq who explains that their aim is to “expose the hidden talents and get behind them in supporting their dream of ‘going big’ where corporations would not be willing to take the risk”. It’s essentially a space where start-ups can experiment, learn, be creative and have fun.

It was through Siddiq’s experience in the retail industry that he picked up on the growing trend for a preference to support local brands, both when it comes to street style and boutique fashion. He recognised immediately that this is something that needs to be encouraged and supported. A window of opportunity presented itself for him and Hadjierah to do this for local brands and they embraced it wholeheartedly, moving quickly from home trading to a more professional space with the perks of a permanent store.

While the store mostly sells clothing, including brands like  Miss H designs, Modish, Kaapstad and JUAL Apparel to name a few, their offering is not limited to fashion and clothing.  At the moment they have a hot offering that includes street style fashions, kids wear, jewellery and bridal wear by Miss H Design, which is the brand of co-owner Hadjierah.

What sets The Local Designers apart from similar spaces is the CMT (cut, make and trim) services they offer on the premises. They saw a gap in the market to offer the service, specifically taking on small runs as this is something other CMTs are often reluctant to do but that upcoming designers desperately need done. The CMT services operate at the store and has six people dedicated to it. This is just one of the ways that The Local Designers’ are offering alternatives to mass-produced and imported clothing, taking the necessary steps to building a textile manufacturing sector that can make a difference to the local economy.

And local is every much the name of the game for The Local Designers, as their name suggests. From the clothing right down to the collapsible rails, everything is produced locally. Because there are so many local brands out there doing great work, Siddiq says, their aim is to “give everyone the opportunity to promote and sell their products in store, therefore we change up the designers who exhibit every three months to keep things exclusive and interesting”.

Everything in store is displayed on moveable clothing rails to reflect the fast-paced nature of trends and fashion. Interestingly, the ambience of the store at a given time depends very much on the creative work on display at that time and represents a different aesthetic as the exhibitors change. For The Local Designers, it’s about creating a relaxed atmosphere where like-minded individuals can come together, shop, and network.  

Note: In the future, The Local Designers would like to take their ever-changing retail space to a mall as a means for the small businesses they represent to be exposed to a bigger audience. Fashion design students, for example, can also book this space for a small fee to exhibit their collections.

Tip: CMT services require a seven working day lead time. The space can be booked on Sundays or after hours.

The Bill: The prices of the items in store range from R160 to R1500.

Opening Times: Monday to Saturday: 10am – 4pm, and 10am – 5pm during  December

Corner of Victoria and 1 Beyers Street  | Woodstock | Cape Town | +27 (0) 82 075 4064

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By: Razaan Kamish

ABOUT #CapeTownMagNew:

#CapeTownMagNew is a long-standing project that is dedicated to discovering exciting new places in and around our pretty city.  We tell their stories, find out what they offer, and delve into what makes them unique. From cafés and restaurants to trampoline parks and dog hotels, there is always one new place in the city that we uncover each week. You can follow #CapeTownMagNew on Twitter and Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter to track recent features or read more here about more Hot Spots and New Restaurants in Cape Town and Surrounds.

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