Andile Dyalvane of Imiso Ceramics walked away with the 2014 ICON Award at this year’s Southern Guild Foundation Awards ceremony held in Cape Town. 

The Foundation is a non-profit organisation established to bring about dynamic and targeted change in the South African design industry.

The ICON award, sponsored by law firm Adams & Adams, is awarded in recognition of work produced by a highly regarded South African designer, acknowledging outstanding achievement, innovation and career advancement.  The winner is awarded R30 000 as well as a legal consultation with Adams & Adams.

This is the first time that Adams & Adams, the largest intellectual property firm in the Southern Hemisphere, has sponsored the Foundation’s ICON award.  The firm also sponsors the Design Indaba Innovation Award and the Loeries Young Creatives Award, and takes an active interest in the intellectual property (IP) requirements of the design industry.

Andile, along with co-creative director, Zizipho Poswa founded Imiso Ceramics.  Imiso means “tomorrow” in Xhosa, and signifies the designers’ philosophy of “Work today, change tomorrow”. Located in the Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock, Cape Town, the studio produces handmade decorative pieces and functional tableware that draws inspiration from African tradition, culture and landscape. 

The prized work which won the award is a non-vessel sculptural piece which showcased at the 2015 Guild International Design Fair.

“The piece is inspired by a building that I see every morning coming in to Woodstock.  It epitomises Woodstock’s dual life as residential and industrial areas vying for a place on the block.  It is green roofed, is partially derelict and leans against a mustard bricked office block.   I have used black clay to depict this,” says Andile.

Andile says the award recognises his dedication to developing creative work which is out of the norm and pushes the boundaries of creativity. 

“The award has made me feel honoured and excited about the future. A team of dedicated production and office staff members have been incredibly supportive of my vision and direction.   Going forward we envisage that our work will be well received and supported within the design industry, followers and patrons.”

Says Mariëtte du Plessis, senior partner at Adams & Adams, “We wish to congratulate Andile on his significant accomplishment, and hope that the prize will help him in his future design endeavours. His creative and personal journey is a testament to what self-belief and perseverance can achieve.

“Many young designers are unsure how to negotiate and assert their intellectual property rights with clients.  This results in many of them losing out on royalties for repetitious and various applications of their designs. We will provide Andile with advice on how to go about protecting those rights.”

The Southern Guild Foundation Awards Programme, now in its fourth year, has supported a number of emerging designers in gaining access to product development and production funding as well as infrastructure assistance.

Says Southern Guild Foundation co-founder Trevyn McGowan, “The judges felt that Andile’s extraordinary potential made him truly deserving of the ICON award.

"Andile is a true inspiration to all South Africans, not just as a designer but as an entrepreneur.  He is incredibly dedicated, ambitious and talented, yet he always has time for younger or less experienced designers and shares his knowledge humbly and supportively."