Pioneering women have been changing the face of local design in recent years. For any young creative wondering if their ideas are too wild, too personal or too different, these women offer living proof that the world needs exactly what you might be afraid to share. While there are countless examples of excellence in the South African industry, here, we’ve highlighted just a few of the changemakers who showcased remarkable work at Decorex Africa, organised by RX, this year, and we share their advice for the generation to come.
Xolela Madlanga
Visual artist Xolela Madlanga’s patterns featured in the Clout/SA Thread Collection celebrating 10 years of the Nando’s Hot Young Designer programme. Her journey into design is the best kind: a beautiful accident born from the union of day-to-day moments like learning about Ndebele patterns in school, doodling for fun and painting a friend’s face for a photoshoot. Having transformed what she saw as a hobby into something much more, her designs capture feelings and expressions rooted in culture and heritage.
Madlanga’s advice to young women starting out in this field is to ‘take yourself seriously and take every chance you can to grow your craft and share it with the world’.
Gillian Holl
What if buildings could heal people? Gillian Holl of Veld Architects has built her practice on this radical premise. ‘Stillness in Motion’, her Lexus Pod 2.0 collaboration for Decorex Cape Town and Decorex Joburg, was poetry made tangible. She designed a space that captured the feeling of standing by the ocean while sitting in a luxury car.
To young women starting out in the field, Holl says, ‘You belong here. Trust your voice. The world doesn’t need you to copy what’s already been done, it needs your unique perspective. Don’t be afraid to take up space. Ask questions. Collaborate generously. And let your values lead you.’
Thabiso Mjo
Thabiso Mjo of Mash.T Design Studio discovered her path through winning a pendant light competition. If you got to see her latest one, the Smiley Pendant, on the show, then you’ll understand why. The light radiates the same nostalgic joy as Beacon’s Liquorice Allsorts. A pioneer for the entire industry, not only women, Mjo is the first and only South African with work in the permanent collections of the Pompidou Centre and Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
To young aspiring designers, Mjo says, ‘Back the process, trust your instinct, and feedback or critique is not a criticism of you or your personhood, so don’t take it personally.’
Sinegugu Ngxongo
Sinegugu Ngxongo of Bambizulu grew up surrounded by women weavers whose busy hands told stories. She’s built her practice without formal training, based on something powerful: deep respect for ancestral knowledge. Her collaboration with master weaver Beauty Ngxongo on the Hlabisa Bench – together with the head designers at award-winning furniture manufacturer Houtlander – reads like a love letter across generations. The bench uses traditional Zulu basket-weaving techniques to create a contemporary furniture piece.
Her latest showcase, The Brooms, transforms everyday cleaning tools into sculptural statements. It’s the kind of work that makes you reconsider every ordinary object in your home, wondering what stories they might tell.
To young women starting out in the field, Ngxongo says, ‘Start with what you know. Your story, your background, your language – they’re all part of
your design voice. And don’t wait for permission to take up space. Build your own room if you have to.’
Donna Allin and Christine Daron
Donna Allin and Christine Daron ofAfrican Jacquard weave textiles from ‘the wild and unlikely.’ Shown at the Materials pavilion at Decorex Cape Town this year, their SeaCell blanket made with sustainably harvested seaweed opens new ways of thinking about materials. It shows that the willingness to take creative risks that others consider impossible can pay off.
Allin and Daron’s advice to young women starting out in this field is to ‘start now. Even if it’s messy or imperfect. Ask questions. Stay curious. And remember, you don’t need to be loud to be heard.’
Lungiswa Joe
In her Cape Town studio, ceramicist Lungiswa Joe shapes clay the way writers shape stories: each piece carries layers of meaning that reveal themselves slowly. She feels that her work expresses ‘a sense of grounded elegance and quiet strength’ while functioning as ‘a reclaim of self-identity and lineage, a story of my home and community’. Each vessel becomes an autobiography in clay, pieces that feel simultaneously ancient and contemporary.
Joe’s advice to young women starting out in this field is to ‘embrace the process – it’s a journey of continuous learning. Find your unique voice – what makes your work distinctly yours? Cultivate that. It’s not easy but it comes. And build a community – find your tribe, other makers, or fellow creatives, who will be your oxygen at times when you feel like you can’t breathe.’
Petra Maierhofer
Petra Maierhofer of Artep Studio ‘doesn’t aim, because aiming feels like missing the mark’. Instead, she listens to that quiet voice saying ‘create something unique’ rather than demanding a five-year plan. She was selected as the show’s 2025 Designer Spotlight and her stand featured metallic surfaces that reflected light in ways that made visitors forget they were looking at walls instead of water.
Maierhofer’s advice to young women starting out in this field is, ‘Don’t wait for permission. Don’t be afraid to be both intuitive and practical – design is as much about gut instinct as it is about structure. And trust your taste – if something feels off, it probably is.’
Women in Design curated by Bilala Mabuza of Cocoon Lifestyle Studio
This landmark showcase celebrates some of the most compelling design voices on the continent, exploring both legacy and next-generation designers. The curation features an inspiring cross-section of creatives whose work blends local influence and global relevance, including Maira Koutsoudakis (Life Interior Architecture & Strategic Design), Andrea Kleinloog and Megan Hesse (Anatomy Design and HK Studio), Julia Day (Julia Day Interiors), Mpho Vackier (TheUrbanative), Lee Ann Bell (Mezzanine Interiors), Nicole Botha (Raw Manufacturing), Tanya Solomon (Living Inspired), and photographers Elsa Young and Sarah de Pina.
For more information visit www.decorex.co.za. For regular updates follow @decorexafrica on Instagram and Facebook and for the latest decor and design industry news visit the Decorex JRNL https://www.decorex.co.za/global/en-gb/journal.html
