Inside The New Concept Store in Eswatini — Showcasing Premium Swazi-designed Products

Last Friday (December 11, 2020) saw concept store Dala Spaces open its doors at Malandela’s. Not letting the big storm disturb our plans, we headed down to Malkerns to preview some of the best locally made design and lifestyle products on offer.

It’s not everyday that an invite for a store opening comes my way, so I was eager to first of all find out what a concept store is; two, escape the mundaneness of lockdown and find an excuse to dress up and three… well let’s be honest: Shop!

The Vision for Dala Spaces

Dala Spaces is the outcome of a close collaboration between Tiwi Gondwe (Maverikz, Subkultured and Third Kulture Kid) and Philippa Thorne (co-founder of Khokho Collection). It was created to “bring together the best of Eswatini lifestyle, fashion, jewellery, haircare and beauty, and homeware under one roof,” as stated on the store’s Instagram bio. The store also offers a “physical space” to showcase Swazi designers and brands — both established and emerging names.

“Dala means ‘to create’. We also love how it is part of the word Mandala, which speaks to the idea of everything in the universe being connected,” explain the founders. “This project is about connecting and growing creatives in Eswatini.”

For co-founder Tiwi, the dream of opening a concept store had been in her “bank of ideas since 2013” — envisioning it as a way to get African products more exposure.

“We have been inspired by the growing pan African design movement. Including concept stores: Arise Africa, Designing Africa Collective and Alara. Through our many collective years in the creative sector we saw a gap within Eswatini for creative skills building, market accessibility and collaboration,” state the founders.

Meet the ‘Co-creators’

Currently the store carries just over 20 brands from local “co-creators” of which include: Baobab Batik, Crown of a Natural, EMC Studio, FroFood Hair, Gone Rural, Luna Lifestyle Hair, Maverikz, The Meraki Project, Nang Voe Natural Products, Nomi Studios, PLAYDOUT, Quazi Design, Swazi Ceramics, Tsandza Weaving, Zufro.

“Each brand has a unique story of sustainability, design or heritage. Our overarching theme was to create a sacred space for both the brands and customers. A platform and launch pad for local brands, as well as a place of discovery for our customers,” say the founders. “We saw over 40 brands in the selection process, and we are excited to introduce more products in the new year.”

A Contemporary Retail Space

Spread out over an ample sized space, the store beckons you in with its well organised display of curated products that flow into one another seamlessly. The store’s interior decor is contemporary, yet warm and welcoming; it really draws you in. An inspiring retail space that goes beyond mere transaction, but instead looks to create a meaningful experience for customers.

According to Tiwi, the pieces on display were selected to tell a clear story about each brand. Just like a museum’s curator has to choose the most important artefacts and artworks to display, each in-store had to carefully select the most important pieces to share with customers.

Given that the store carries products from local creators who do not necessarily have a physical retail space, one loves that the store setting thus allows us customers to get a chance to feel the fabrics, smell the scents, and basically ‘interact’ with the product. I loved how many of the products are a nod to African and Swazi culture, which gives the store an African artsy feel.

It is clear that painstaking attention to detail was paid to setting up the space. Co-founder Philippa was responsible for designing and curating the space owing to her background in design and having worked in many creative spaces. Whilst Tiwi was responsible for sourcing local talent and using her social media skills to get the word out.

There are also plans to use the space to host events and workshops, which will help bring more people into the space and build a community around the creators. Hosting these various activations will no doubt help to cultivate an appetite for Swazi-designed products. Malandela’s is just the right location for the concept store; a tourist hub that could offer local design talent access to a broader clientele.

#ShopLocal

Head to the Malandela’s complex and pick up some must-have accessories; like cow-horn made jewellery from Luphondvo Design, silk headbands from Luna Lifestyle Hair, handmade sisal tote bags from Khokho Collection, colourful home decor pieces from Swazi Ceramics and your next Instagram-worthy outfit from local fashion designers.