The Women Shaping Africa’s Design Landscape Through Storytelling

Miminat Shodeinde - Furniture Designer & Founder, Miminat Designs

What sits at the heart of your design aesthetic?

At the heart of my design aesthetic is storytelling. I’m drawn to spaces and objects that carry emotion, memory and a sense of cultural continuity. I’m influenced by organic forms, craftsmanship, architecture and the quiet details that make a space feel human. I always want design to feel intentional — not just visually beautiful, but emotionally resonant too.

How does your Nigerian heritage shape your work?

My Nigerian heritage is foundational to how I see design. There’s a richness in our textures, materials, symbolism and way of living that naturally finds its way into my work. Whether through form, rhythm, materiality or storytelling, I’m often drawing from cultural memory. I think there’s something powerful about creating contemporary work that still honours where you come from. I also often name pieces using Yoruba words as a way of honouring language, identity and the cultural narratives that continue to inspire me.

Which women have influenced your journey most?

Absolutely my mother. Her strength, presence and the way she carried herself have shaped so much of how I see the world and approach my work. Creatively, I’ve also been deeply inspired by Barbara Hepworth and Lina Bo Bardi. I’m drawn to women who created with conviction and understood that design can be both functional and expressive.

What advice would you give young African women entering creative industries?

Don’t feel pressured to separate your ambition from your identity. Your perspective is your strength. The things that make you culturally specific, emotionally nuanced or creatively different are often what make your work compelling. Be curious, refine your craft relentlessly and never feel you need to dilute who you are to be globally relevant. Authenticity travels.

What conversations should women in design be having more openly?

I think we need more honest conversations around access, authorship, leadership, sustainability and the emotional realities of building a creative career. There’s also room to speak more openly about navigating ambition without apology, defining success on your own terms and creating healthier creative ecosystems. Representation matters, but so do retention, visibility and equitable opportunity.

What do you hope women feel when experiencing your spaces?

I hope they feel seen. I hope they feel a sense of softness, power, comfort, beauty and emotional connection. Good design creates atmosphere, but great design creates feeling too. If someone feels inspired, grounded or emotionally moved, then the work has done what it was meant to do.

Does femininity naturally influence your work?

Yes, I think femininity naturally informs my work. For me, femininity can mean intuition, softness, strength, fluidity, complexity and emotional intelligence. Those qualities often appear in the forms I’m drawn to and the atmospheres I create. I’m interested in design that feels alive and emotionally expressive, and femininity is certainly part of that.

Kamo Mafokwane - Design Director & Founder, NAIA Interior Atelier

What first drew you to interior design?

I am fascinated by how something seemingly small can mirror a person’s lifestyle, thoughts and inner world through a designed space. Looking back at my career, I can see how my vision has evolved into something far more intimate: a practice rooted in emotion and faith.

How do interiors shape emotional wellbeing?

Interior design has a profound impact on emotional wellbeing. We often take clients on a journey of discovering this for themselves, helping them understand how their spaces can reflect what they truly feel and value. From colour to texture to form, every element plays a role. Proportion influences calm. Light affects mood and energy. Materiality engages the senses in subtle but powerful ways. A room that feels balanced, intentional and restrained allows the body to relax fully.

What qualities should young female designers cultivate?

I believe we must lead with intentional design, first asking: what emotion do I want my client to feel, and how do I achieve it? Authenticity is equally important. When you are authentic, you refine your skill and develop clarity in your design voice that is not swayed by noise or trends. A strong point of view endures over time. Finally, emotional intelligence — the ability to read a room and communicate through your design voice.

What legacy would you like NAIA Atelier to leave behind?

That softness in design is not boring. That design can be deeply personal while still resonating with those who see beauty from a different perspective. That an understanding of different cultures and cross-border collaboration can produce truly meaningful design. That beauty does not need to follow trends to feel timeless.

What inspires you outside of interiors?

Architecture, art, sport, cars and craftsmanship. I find inspiration everywhere because design exists in everything we see. In automotive design, textures, mechanics and functionality work together in harmony. When I take time to engage with the things I love — even if it’s simply going for a walk — inspiration comes naturally.

Have female mentors shaped your journey?

My mother has played a significant role in shaping my relationship with design. She transformed spaces organically and effortlessly through the projects she worked on. She encouraged me to trust the process and express myself freely through art and design.

How has post-pandemic living changed the way clients approach their homes?

The pandemic heightened awareness of how deeply space affects the way we feel. Clients are now far more emotionally connected to their homes. We ask “why” often. Through that reflection, clients discover whether their preferences are deeply personal or influenced by external noise.

What materials or influences do you return to most often?

For me, it has always been natural stone. Every slab carries its own origin, colour and veining. I often begin a project with stone because it establishes the language of the home. There is something deeply tactile about it, and bringing that into a living space feels incredibly special.

Anna Weylandt - Chief Brand Officer, Weylandts / Director, StudioLandt

What has been the most defining moment in your design journey?

Joining the family business as a buyer was a defining shift for me. I moved out of interior design into something that felt uncertain at the time, but it became a long-term commitment. It grounded me in the full design process — from concept to customer — and shaped how I think about building a brand with longevity.

What daily rituals keep you grounded creatively?

I don’t have strict daily rituals — mine are quite instinctive. But I always come back to working with my hands, especially arranging flowers. It’s a way to slow down and switch off. That hand-to-mind connection helps me reset creatively.

Has a particular project changed the way you think about creativity or success?

Renovating our space at 107 Castle Street shifted my approach. It taught me to trust intuition more and allow a space to evolve naturally. Being both client and designer gave me the freedom to create without overthinking.

How do you create spaces that feel emotionally connected to the people living in them?

It always starts with understanding how someone wants to feel in a space. From there, we layer materials, light and objects in a way that feels intentional rather than decorative. The goal is to create something that resonates quietly, where everything has meaning but nothing feels forced.

What aspects of South African culture influence your work?

A strong connection to materials and a sense of honesty. There’s something raw and authentic in South African design — natural textures, local craftsmanship and pieces that carry a story. That always comes through in how I approach materiality.

Have female mentors or collaborators shaped your journey?

Most of my formal mentors have been male, but I’m constantly inspired by the women I work with. My team is made up of incredibly smart, driven creatives, and that daily exchange of ideas and energy has had a huge impact on me.

What advice would you give young women trying to find their creative voice?

Stay authentic. Make decisions that feel aligned with who you are, not what you think the industry expects. Your voice becomes clear when you trust it. 

Which material are you currently obsessed with?

Handmade ceramic tiles and stainless steel — the contrast between something crafted and something industrial feels really exciting right now.

Shelley Mokoena - Designer & Founder, Connade

How has being a woman shaped your creative approach?

Being a woman makes me deeply attentive to nuance and to what is felt but not always spoken. I design from an embodied place and think about how a garment moves with the body — how it protects, reveals or empowers. There is also a heightened awareness of space and how women navigate the world. My work becomes a quiet assertion of agency. It isn’t loud, but it is deliberate.

Which women continue to inspire you?

The women closest to me have shaped me the most, especially my mother and aunts. They influenced the way I understand beauty, care, femininity and atmosphere. More broadly, I’m deeply inspired by what I think of as “unpunishable women” — women who refuse to make themselves smaller to be accepted. I’m always drawn to women whose presence feels self-defined and uncompromising.

What would you tell young women entering creative industries?

There can be pressure to appear certain before you feel ready. But clarity develops through practice, through making and refinement. Protect your ideas. Learn the structure of the industry as carefully as you learn your craft. Most importantly, do not dilute your perspective to make it easier to accept. The work becomes powerful when it is specific.

Where do you find inspiration outside of Connade?

A lot of inspiration comes from simply paying attention — the texture of a wall, the rhythm of a conversation, the way fabric moves in the wind or the feeling a space leaves behind. I think beauty often exists in subtle things, and those quieter observations eventually find their way into my work.

What draws you to a monochromatic palette?

Monochrome removes distraction. It forces attention onto form, texture, silhouette and concept. Black, especially, holds complexity. It is protective and carries elegance without demanding it. Working within this palette is a discipline that sharpens creativity and allows the story to speak louder than colour.

How important are heritage and memory in your work? 

They are foundational. Even when the silhouettes feel modern, they are grounded in something older: ritual, ancestry and collective memory. I’m interested in the continuity between past and future — the idea that what we inherit becomes material for what we imagine next.

What conversations do you hope your work contributes to?

I hope the work speaks to slowness and intentional creation. I’m interested in what happens when garments are treated as vessels of meaning rather than disposable trends. I also care about cultural authorship — African designers defining their own narratives and futures with confidence.

Boemo Diale - Artist

What first drew you to painting?

I’ve been drawing, painting and fiddling for as long as I can remember. I think I’ve always been drawn to anything that involves using my hands and playing with colour.

How does scale or medium shape your work?

I’m usually not that intentional when working across different mediums. Often the medium and scale dictate the emotion or idea in their own way. A smaller surface will inevitably evoke a certain kind of feeling, maybe an intimacy. A larger surface may feel like stepping into its world.

What do you hope audiences take away from your work?

I think I want people to think about their own identities and sense of place. Everyone can investigate their connection to where they come from and where they want to go. I find that incredibly poetic.

How have female mentors or collaborators influenced your journey?

I think any woman who has inspired me has shaped my career. They’ve definitely influenced many of my desires and intentions in my own personal worldbuilding.

What inspires your visual language? 

I’m often inspired by little trinkets I come across, whether in people’s homes, charity shops or stores. I’m always interested in the shapes and colours around me.

What has your journey taught you about resilience and self-expression?

I often say that my story isn’t unique, though it may be nuanced. That connection many South African women carry is what inspires my self-expression and gives me hope and strength.

What inspires you outside of art?

I listen to about eight hours of music a day, whether in my studio, at home or while commuting. Music really influences my flow and movement.

What would you say to young women pursuing creative careers?

I’d say that anything can become a story. If you can find a story, you can build your own world.

Credits

Compiled by Pamela Williams-Magqashela