Crafter Given Nkuna, recently named South Africa’s Young Design Entrepreneur by the British Council, will travel to the UK in September to represent his country at the British Council’s International Young Design Entrepreneur Award.

The award was launched in 2005 to recognise the achievements of young design entrepreneurs from emerging economies - people working in the fields of architecture, design promotion, graphic design, interior design, product design and digital media.

Each year, the British Council encourages entrepreneurs to take part in the competition, which is open to designers between the ages of 25 and 35, with a minimum of three years’ experience in the design sector. The winner - chosen on the strength of his or her design as well as leadership potential - represents his or her country at the international competition in the UK.

In South Africa, the award is the result of a partnership between the British Council, the Gauteng Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Western Cape Department for Economic Development and Tourism.

As the winner of the South African leg of the competition, Nkuna will compete against eight finalists for the international award in September.

In the UK, the nine finalists will spend time in London, Glasgow and Belfast, where they will be given the opportunity to network with key design sector partners. They will visit designers, leading design retailers, manufacturers and institutions active in the procurement of design and architecture. The trip will culminate with the finalists attending 100% Design and the London Design Festival from 24 to 27 September.

Mpumalanga-born Nkuna says he applied for the award because, as a young crafter, he believes he has a role to play in the country’s design sector. ‘South African craft is influenced a lot by our tradition and culture,’ he explains. ‘This sort of exposure will not only teach me a lot and impart my knowledge to a UK market, but bring [knowledge] home and inspire people I work with.’

Nkuna started making accessories with cheap and affordable materials in 2003 after completing a craft enterprise qualification with the South African Craft Council.

At first he worked with denim and buttons, selling his designs at exhibitions. He later started making coin wallets from “China bags” (striped, woven synthetic shopping bags) - creations that put him on the crafting map.

Today, Nkuna is the proud founding manager of Le2 Designs, a felting company that specialises in making accessories. The company operates from City Varsity Campus in Newtown, Johannesburg, also showcasing its products at the Zasekhaya Market at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown. According to Nkuna’s blog, Le2 felting has been shown at a number of exhibitions in South Africa, including Decorex and the Design Indaba.

‘Our products are unusual and very innovative and as a result we are successfully supplying a number of shops countrywide,’ says Nkuna.

For Nkuna, the opportunity to showcase his craft abroad is an honour. ‘African craft goes back many, many years and to be able to represent what my ancestors have been doing is such a privilege,’ he says. ‘I want to do them proud.’

To find out more about Given Nkuna and his mode of crafting called felting click here. For more information on the International Young Design Entrepreneur Award visit this page.