As top musical acts performed on the main stages, some lesser-known artists showcased their locally produced crafts at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival at the International Convention Centre from 29 to 30 March.

The festival provided a space for small businesses to market their original products to the 30,000 plus festival-goers over the two days. One such entrepreneur is Nondwe Nyathi, who owns Indwe Designs. She sells custom leather jewellery, inspired by African Aesthetics.

“It is handmade, so most of the pieces are one-off and they’ll never be repeated,” she said.

She started her company in 2016 after showcasing her work at Design Indaba.

“It started as a hobby when I was about 18 years old, then it eventually turned into a business.”

This is Nyathi’s second year as an exhibitor. She is one of the small businesses chosen for the festival by the Craft and Design Institute.

“So we apply through them and they do the selection of what they want at the jazz festival.”

The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) is a non-profit developmental agency which offers support to crafters and designers. Only registered members can access the institute’s assistance and resources. Registration is free.

Another entrepreneur who is a CDI member is Aretha Doyle.

“They help us with places to sell in markets and they help you, if you have an idea, to formulate that into a product or service. There’s a lot of support that you get from them, even if you need advice,” she said.

Doyle is the founder of Cool Tags Accessories. She sells upcycled jewellery and accessories made from the pull tabs on metal cans.

She started making her products after conducting research online about collecting pull tabs for charity.

“While I was doing that, I came across people who were making posters and placemats. So I decided to make myself a purse from some of the tabs that I was collecting for charity, and people wanted it,” she said.

She’s had a stall at The Watershed at the V&A Waterfront since 2014.

“We started there in October 2014. So we’ve been there since. (The business) is getting there — we have clients in France, Switzerland, Germany.”

Doyle says she struggles to attract local buyers.

“South Africans don’t really appreciate the craft that I’m doing. I think we need to teach them, first of all, to recycle. Second, they need to know that you can wear recycled stuff. It’s not just rubbish. You can make it into fashion,” she said.

On the other hand, Nyathi’s customer base is primarily local. However, she finds that Capetonians are less receptive to her jewellery.

“I’ve got more customers from Johannesburg than Cape Town. I feel like Cape Town people don’t wanna pay for my product,” she said.

She’s been told that her product is “too expensive”.

“They don’t understand why a pair of earrings is like R290, which I think is quite reasonable,” she said.

She makes the pieces herself, from locally sourced raw materials.

“I get my leather from Cape Town and I do my cutting at Woodstock, buy my glue and everything and my thread at another shop in Cape Town.”

Doyle has also found that people consider her products too pricey.

“I don’t think my products are expensive. I think they are very reasonable. It takes time to make, so you have to consider the hours that are put into making them. That’s besides designing them, but actually making them,” she said.

Doyle also employs a number of people who collect pull tabs and help her manufacture the accessories.

“It’s not just about me, it’s about the people that I work with.”

“So those guys that are collecting tabs, they also need to be paid very well. They need to put food on the table. So whenever I’m calculating my price, I consider them as well,” she said. DM