Women in Design hosted by Bilala Mabuza
Course overview
Hosted by Bilala Mabuza, this session complements her landmark Women in Design exhibition at 100% Design Africa. Bringing together key voices, the panel reflects on creativity, leadership, and representation—exploring how women are shaping the future of design with vision, resilience, and purpose.
Certification included
Validated by SAIAT as a Category 1 CPD talk. Attendees will earn 0.1 credits.
Meet the SPEAKERs
Bilala Kanye Mabuza
Creative Director. Designer. Curator, Cocoon Lifestyle | Women in Design
Bilala is the Founder and Creative Director of Cocoon Lifestyle; a full interior design, curation and bespoke furniture design studio based in Steyn City, Johannesburg, South Africa.
A seasoned business leader, strategist and curator with a deep appreciation for Design, Art and intentional living ethos. She is a mother, wife, sister, friend and mentor to her team & tribe. Her Effortless & Elegant design style infuses contemporary furniture with African Art and handmade objet & artefacts from the continent with its diverse cultures and textures. Read more...
Aspasia Karras
Editor, Business Day’s Wanted magazine
Aspasia Karras is a columnist for the Sunday Times , Editor of Business Day’s Wanted magazine and an avid yoga teacher. She has a long career in the media starting at the Mail and Guardian whilst studying for her Masters in Public Policy and Development . She has worked for ,Elle, The Times and as Editor in Chief of Marie Claire.
Mpho Vackier
Founder, TheUrbanative
Mpho Vackier is a dynamic designer and entrepreneur with a background in process engineering. In 2016, Mpho
founded TheUrbanative, a contemporary furniture and product design studio based in Johannesburg. With a passion
for authentic and timeless design, Mpho finds inspiration in cultural stories and enjoys collaborating with other creatives
and makers. A mom and wife; Mpho is married to a fellow engineer and has one son, and is a devoted dog lover. Read more...
Frederica Sala
Independent Curator & Design Advisor
Independent curator and design advisor, Frederica Sala has made design the gravitational centre of her life. With an interdisciplinary approach, she is in constant dialogue with art, architecture, and publishing in relation to exhibitions, commercial, or informative projects. Read more...
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