Crafting great profits

Craft producers trading at two prominent Cape Town venues – the Castle of Good Hope and the Red Shed at the V&A Waterfront – have notched up over half a million rands turnover since October last year.
At a pop-up retail event (a collaboration between the Cape Craft & Design Institute and Kamers vol Geskenke) held at the Castle from 5-8 June, 29 CCDI-selected participants (excluding Kamers-selected enterprises) raised over R340 000.
And in addition, operating from a 20m² space at the Red Shed from October 2013-May 2014, groups of four to six craft producers collectively generated over R250 000 in turnover.
Approximately 80% of the Red Shed participants were emerging businesses, and their best sellers have been traditional handmade products geared to the tourist market, such as wire works and items linked to the Big Five animals. The CCDI-Kamers event also included numerous emerging businesses, and was geared to discerning local buyers. Products ranged from high end homeware to fashion accessories.
Many of the craft producers have not only received valuable feedback at these events, but also met retail buyers and businesses in search of innovative products and unique corporate gifts. Some have placed orders for more products, said Doreen Hendricks, CCDI Market Support Coordinator: Domestic & Local Markets.
Building on the pilot initiative at the Red Shed in the Waterfront, the CCDI plans to lease space in the visionary new R50 million development called the Watershed, launched by the V&A in April.
The CCDI has had a long association with the Waterfront and in June 2012 began a conversation with their retail and marketing executives about how to better position craft and design in what is South Africa’s most visited destination. The CCDI participated in a series of discussions and visualisation sessions with the marketing and retail team and architects in late 2013 to help craft the vision and direction for the market component of this innovative and eye-catching building.
“The V&A’s Watershed development promises not only to be a great external renovation, but also heralds an evolution of the product offering at this retail space, visited by 25 million people a year. We are very proud to have been involved in this new initiative with the V&A which we are sure will turn out to be a great investment for the sector,” said CCDI Executive Director Erica Elk.
Note to editors:
The CCDI was set up in 2001 to support the needs of creative businesses in the Western Cape, and to grow the region’s craft and design sector. A not-for-profit company, the CCDI is a joint initiative of the Western Cape Government and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Its mission is to develop capable people and build responsible creative enterprises, trading within local and international markets. Find out more at www.ccdi.org.za.

Author: Judy Bryant from Judy Bryant Communications.
More Info link: http://www.ccdi.org.za
Images: For high res version/s of One image/s please contact: Judy Bryant Communications.

Razaan Jakoet of Chic Fusion, at Kamers at the Castle. Judy Bryant

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