Design Week SA 2025 Brings Bold New Energy to Johannesburg
Johannesburg will buzz with creativity from 9-12 October as Design Week South Africa returns for its second edition, bringing with it a celebration of African design, urban innovation, and cultural exchange that spans the city’s most iconic precincts.
The 2025 programme expands on last year’s momentum with an impressive mix of exhibitions, talks, workshops and immersive installations across Johannesburg. But it’s the new Morning Sessions format that’s poised to become a standout. Held daily from 9:00-10:30am in cafes and public venues, these casual coffee-fuelled gatherings will feature top creatives sharing insights in an unfiltered, human way.
“With our inaugural Morning Sessions programme, we hope to encourage design discourse at its most human,” says curator Simone Schultz. “We believe that the future of South African design won't be decided only in boardrooms or established institutions, but in these moments of generous exchange between creative practitioners and an engaged, culturally conscious audience.”
The city’s cultural arteries - Keyes Art Mile, 44 Stanley and Victoria Yards - form the core of the programme, each hosting thought-provoking installations, design pop-ups, and collaborative exhibitions.
At 44 Stanley, visitors can catch The Story of Sari for Change, a textile installation transforming traditional saris into one-of-a-kind garments, alongside design dialogues at Wat Wat, and an Ivorian jewellery showcase at Yä-de. Over at The Bioscope, Africa Textile Talks will explore the fabric of the continent’s design history, curated by Tandekile Mkize and presented by Twyg in collaboration with The V&A Watershed.
In Rosebank, 223 Creative Hub will host a tufting workshop with Fybre Studios, while Keyes Art Mile partners with Blaque Inq Contemporaries for a visual art exhibition and walkabout with artist Lehlogonolo Masoabi.
Meanwhile, Victoria Yards brings together sustainability and storytelling. Highlights include a sustainable garden design workshop by Plenty Green Africa, a streetwear pop-up by FRNDLY SA - launching an exclusive t-shirt collab with Design Week South Africa.
There is also a powerful multi-disciplinary exhibition, Price of Gold. Featuring artists like Jack Markovitz, Klein Muis and Francesco Mbele, the show imagines a futuristic Johannesburg and includes talks with the artists and designers.
Just across the road, Nando’s Central Kitchen will present Babize Bonke (meaning “call everyone”), the latest campaign from Jozi My Jozi, spotlighting hyperlocal heroes shaping the city’s cultural landscape.
For those looking to go deeper, the festival includes studio visits, open days, listening-room sessions, and even a hard-hat tour of an upcoming lifestyle development. Soho House will also curate a salon in collaboration with Perfect Hideaways, tying design into lifestyle and hospitality.
Importantly, the event also expands into Soweto, where Creative20 launches The Annual Kasiology Festival - a township-based celebration of design and creativity coinciding with the upcoming G20 Summit. This initiative emphasises inclusive design thinking and its role in community empowerment.
“Both 44 Stanley and Keyes Art Mile embody the spirit of independent creativity and African innovation, making them natural partners for Design Week South Africa,” says founder Margot Molyneux. “We are thrilled to present activations that reflect the depth, diversity and energy of the continent’s design community - and to invite the world to see how South Africa’s designers are shaping the future.”
Design Week South Africa is curated by a powerhouse team deeply embedded in the creative ecosystem: Margot Molyneux, known for her fashion and publishing work; Zanele Kumalo, a media and arts advocate with 20 years of cultural influence; Roland Postma, an urbanist committed to people-centred cities; and Simone Schultz, whose global design media experience brings international perspective home to Africa.
From intimate exchanges to city-wide spectacles, this year’s Design Week is more than a showcase - it’s a statement. One that reflects a vibrant, ambitious, and future-facing design culture that invites the world in, over coffee or conversation.