The 2024/2025 edition of our Young Designer Competition has commenced and entries are officially closed. This year was BIGGER than ever! 🥳
To call the previous editions of this competition a phenomenon would be an understatement. As Something Good Homeware partnered with Romaria Knitwear, we've become two small businesses weaving forward together to make a BIG impact.
Together, we called all emerging creatives to show us their clever ways. Our aim is to encourage youth entrepreneurship and creativity, potentially opening doors to future success and well-deserved recognition.
Thank you to all creatives who participated.
The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For…
The winning patterns of Our Young Designer Competition
After an incredible journey of creativity, passion, and pure textile magic, we are thrilled to reveal the winning patterns from our Young Designer Competition!
The process has been nothing short of inspiring! From the moment we opened the doors to submissions, we were blown away by the talent, energy, and bold ideas of South Africa's young artists. Every single design showcased a unique story, a new perspective, and a deep love for textile design. It’s been a journey of discovery—one that reminded us of just how much raw talent and creativity is out there.
From the first stitch to the final swatch, we’re about to make something truly special.
judging panel
Trust us, the selection process was tough, thankfully, we called for help from our amazing guest judges; Lisa Jaffe, Juliet Kavishe and Candice Berman —
Fashion Designer, Owner of Guillotine Boutique Store
Interior Architect and Design Educator
Art Gallery Owner, Founder of 223 Jan Smuts Creative Hub
about the competition
Who could enter
Aspiring young designers aged 25 years or younger. South African residents only.
What to expect
All patterns went through various phases of selection leading up to the nomination of the Top 20. The winning designers are yet to be announced. They will move forward into product design phase where each finalist will receive design mentorship. Their patterns will be translated into a capsule collection of both homeware and knitwear to become part of our 2024/2025 Young Designer Programme - to be sold worldwide.
DESIGN BRIEF
This time, we wanted to challenge young designers with a theme named: Inside Out. We were looking for a repeat pattern consisting of two colours only. If designs exceeded two colours, it would have been rejected. Designs should be blanket shaped (A4 page size). Designers were welcome to submit as many designs as they liked.
2022/2023 Winners
The 2022/2023 competition was a testament to creativity and ingenuity. The top four selected patterns became part of our ever-popular 'Young Designer Throw' collection. Our winning designers had an incredible run! They were featured in various established publications like Vogue Italia, Visi Magazine and House & Leisure. Their throws sold worldwide at design hubs like New York, Amsterdam, London & Seoul. Their designs won the hearts of many and became part of various wonderful homes.
As we shift towards a new collection, sadly we have to let go of the current. We are so glad these designs were born so that we could get to know them and all their lovely makers. They've brought a great deal of joy to us as well as their new owners. 🥰
There are limited quantities left of each design - available to shop online and via our retail stockists.
Young Designers 2022/2023
Before
After
"The Young Designer Competition was something I just took a shot at in 2022, thinking 'it’s not something I could actually win' but ended up surprising myself. The impact of winning has been huge – it’s boosted my confidence as a designer and to back myself more. It has led to really special collaborations and work opportunities - it’s come full circle to joining the Something Good & Romaria team as their Creative Assistant. It’s worth it no matter if you win or not because it’s a platform to approach/learn from a new brief as a young designer, and not just any brief, but one that celebrates diversity and exploration."
Jade Taylor
2021 Winners
FAQs
It was quite a task! We sifted through all designs in multiple different sessions by process of elimination keeping our criteria in mind.
The initial pattern design brief, practicality, is the design fresh & exciting, does it resonate with our brand, and commercial appeal.
A huge part of our brand story is to take South African design to the world. This competition is exclusive to South African citizens.
We work with various artists and designers. Our intention for this specific competition is to serve as a platform for emerging South African creatives.
We work with various artists and designers. Our intention for this specific competition is to serve as a platform for emerging South African creatives.