Source Africa held its second trade show at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) last week. Source Africa is a trade expo that takes place annually to give designers and manufacturers around the world the platform to exhibit their creations. This year’s Trade Expo, which took place on 19 and 20 June, saw the pan-African textile, clothing, and footwear industries come under one roof for the most important trade event on the international calendar.

Mthatha-based designer Kaise Dubula, the founder of Kaise Fabrics and Designs was one of the exhibitors at the expo. She showcased her modern designs which consisted of smart casual, modern traditional and beadwork. Kaise’s designs are aimed at high-class women who have a distinct taste in fashion. “We have dressed the likes of Pearl Thusi and Brenda Ngxoli, as well as designed shirts for President Jacob Zuma,” boasted Lwando Adonis, the brand ambassador for Kaise’s Designs. Adonis also mentioned that the brand plans on expanding their products to major fashion cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town and would like to launch their brand at Fashion Week. Kaise’s Designs have also designed 500 jackets for the Departments of Public Works.

The Designers’ Council of Mauritius (DCM) was one of the expo’s main exhibitors this year. The Designers’ Council of Mauritius consists of all the designers of Mauritius in one group. The aim of the DCM is to get their designers international recognition. So far, the Designers’ Council of Mauritius has managed to showcase their designers’ creations in Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Dubai, and are  now trying to get into South Africa. What makes the designers part of the DCM different from the rest of the designers in Mauritius is that they opt for earthy colours in their designs while everyone else goes for bright colours. The DCM also held a fashion show later that evening to showcase their latest designs.

The Source Africa Trade Show was first held last year in Cape Town. The 2013 Expo featured 170 exhibitors from 19 countries including Spain, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, and host country South Africa just to name a few. Designers, artists and, manufacturers from these countries come together to showcase their amazing footwear, garments and, textiles to African and international buyers.

The Source Africa Trade Show 2014 provided a platform for creatives from across the globe to come together under one roof, and to interact with each other. Such platforms help countries to collaborate on making their businesses grow and to expand their expertise  and help boost intra-regional trade between African countries.