Prize(s):

PRODUCT DESIGN OF THE YEAR 2026 | WINNER 2026 PRODUCT DESIGN / Homeware & Decoration

Company Name:Clout/SA

Lead Designer(s) Name(s):Tracy Lynch, Design curator and Creative director Clout/SA. Project director Cebo Mvubu

Design Team / Other designer(s):Anelisa Nyongo, Nozibele Nxadi, members of Keiskamma Art Project

Other Contributor(s):Cara Saven wallpaper, Fabric Bank, AAAFRICA STORE

Manufacturer Name:Keiskamma Art Project

Distributors Name:Clout/SA

Client Name:Keiskamma Art Project

Photo Credit:Creg Cox, Justin Patrick

Project Location:Based in the coastal village of Hamburg

Design Status:Commercialized

Website: View

Product Description:
“Stitched, a Story of Our Home” is the first wallpaper, fabric and homeware collection from a creative partnership facilitated by us in collaboration with the Keiskamma Art Project. Based in the seaside village of Hamburg in the Eastern Cape, the Keiskamma Art Project, founded in 2000 by Dr Carol Hofmeyr, is renowned for large-scale embroidered artworks that share community stories and preserve local oral history. Seeking to expand into the interior design market, the Trust partnered with Clout/SA to translate its distinctive embroidery aesthetic into a scenic, quintessentially South African wallpaper, alongside coordinating printed textiles and homeware. For the first time, artists Anelisa Nyongo, Nozibele Nxadi and project director Cebo Mvubu applied their craft to a design-led collection. Inspired by the Kei River estuary, the design features lush vegetation and birdlife, including Grey Herons and Little Egrets, reimagined in the project’s signature stitched style—creating new revenue opportunities while sharing their stories with a broader audience.

Product Innovation / Specification:
The detailed hand stitched embroidery was digitally scanned printed on wallpaper and fabric intended for interior applications as well as homeware accessories, earning the project passive income and exposure within local and potentially global, market place.

Product Sustainability Approach:
Made to order fabrics and wallpaper, no stock wastage.

Local and Regional Impacts of the Product:
At Clout/SA we are passionate about South African design: its creativity, its craft, and its power to shape how the world sees us. Through design, we tell stories of identity, heritage, and possibility. With decades of shared experience, our understanding of the local design landscape shapes every partnership and curation. We’ve cultivated a community of makers who champion quality, sustainable practice and authenticity. This ongoing commitment advances the craft skills and innovative techniques that define SA design today.

Profile Description:
We are passionate about South African design: its creativity, its craft, and its power to shape how the world sees us. Our vision is for the industry to emerge as a distinct global design brand that combines the country’s legacy of craft, heritage, and storytelling with contemporary making techniques. By supporting these values, we ensure that investment flows into local creative and maker communities.

Environmental Practices:
As a business curating South African design, we prioritise lighting and furniture from makers committed to sustainability and zero waste. We work with companies like Modern Gesture and Pedersen and Lennard, who repurpose offcuts, and Wiid Design, which uses sustainably grown cork. Designers such as Mash T celebrate traditional craft, while Ashanti Design upcycles textile waste into woven lighting. We champion ethical, small-scale South African makers focused on innovation, skills development, and excellence.

Previous Awards Won:
N/A

Stitched, a story of our home