#Cape Town: World Design Capital 2014 bid

[Mo Rush]

World Design Capital 2014 shortlisted cities announced
Release Category: Bid process

Montreal (Canada) – Following deliberations on 9 June 2011, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) has the pleasure to announce on behalf of the members of the World Design Capital® (WDC) Selection Committee that the cities of Bilbao (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa) and Dublin (Ireland) have been selected as the three shortlisted cities that will move on to the next round of evaluation in the bid to becoming the World Design Capital in 2014.

In 2014 selection of World Design Capital will be the fourth appointment by Icsid of this biennial designation to a city, in recognition of its accomplishments in using design as a catalyst for development and reinvention, as well as for improving its social, cultural and economic environments.

After a comprehensive review of all bids submitted, the cities of Bilbao, Cape Town and Dublin distinguished themselves not only by demonstrating their individual approaches towards design in their cities, but also managed to convey the impact of these on the various aspects of social, cultural and economic life, as well as provided three very unique visions for how design will continue to reinvent their urban landscape. Furthermore, these cities demonstrated that they possessed the expertise, infrastructure and financial capabilities to successfully develop and implement an inspiring yearlong programme of international design related events, promoting design, as well as their city, on an international stage; and finally, illustrated how their citizens have and will continue to benefit from their cityʼs achievements in design.

“It was a difficult decision, but the WDC Selection Committee has shortlisted three incredibly well thought-out and all-together remarkable bids that have created unique competitive advantages for their cities through design,” expressed Martin Darbyshire, WDC Organising Committee member and Icsid Executive Board Member. “These proposals have conveyed very workable and deliverable plans to use design as a means to reinvigorate their cityʼs social, cultural and economic development.”

“The Bilbao City Hall, the Provincial Government of Bizkaia and the Basque Government would like to express their great enthusiasm on being shortlisted to be the World Design Capital in 2014,” stated Iñaki Azkuna, Mayor of Bilbao. “Design innovation has become an essential tool to improve the competitiveness and quality of life in cities, and is necessary to enhance collaborative public-private environments with direct participation from the administrations, universities and different economic and professional agents. This is the direction Bilbao has followed to achieve its transformation over the past 25 years, and this designation will help continue the rejuvenation of our great city.”

“Cape Townʼs bid to be the World Design Capital of the year in 2014 shows how far we have come as a city. More importantly, it shows how far we want to take this city,” declared Patricia De Lille, Executive Mayor of Cape Town. “The creative industries make up an extremely important part of our local economy. The value of an event such as World Design Capital not only exposes our creative design talents to the world, but in turn develops our local industry into an asset for decades to come.”

Lord Mayor of Dublin Gerry Breen echoed the enthusiasm shown by the two accompanying shortlisted cities, stating, “Dublin is honoured to be one of three cities shortlisted for World Design Capital 2014. On behalf of Dublin City Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin County Councils, I welcome the opportunities the World Design Capital project will give us. The project will be beneficial in economic, environmental, social and political terms. These are difficult times and this bid will challenge us to adapt, recover and grow.”

The next step in the process leading up to the final selection of the 2014 WDC designation is the city visits that will be conducted in July 2011 by members of the WDC Organising Committee. These site inspections will enable further information to be gathered in an attempt to provide the WDC Selection Committee with a more thorough understanding of the proposed programmes by each of the shortlisted cities prior to the final selection in August 2011.

The official announcement of the 2014 World Design Capital designated city will be on 26 October during the 2011 International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress in Taipei, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei).

For more information, please visit www.worlddesigncapital.com, or contact:

Dilki de Silva
Icsid Secretary General
t: +1 514 448 4949 ext. 227
f: +1 514 448 4948
e: ddesilva@icsid.org

Claudia Sighomnou
World Design Capital Programme Coordinator
t: +1 514 448 4949 ext. 228
f: +1 514 448 4948
e: csighomnou@icsid.org

[MrChavcore]

haha! as someone who actually lives in dublin now and has a degree in graphic design i can say that in no ways does dublin compare to cape town in a creative sense. in fact, of all the cities i've lived in i'd have to say that dublin is one of the most narrow minded major cities i've ever been to in terms of embracing design as a cultural and social tool! im not sure what the industry is like in bilbao, but if it was a head to head race between cape town and dublin the mother city would win hands down!

[Mo Rush]

The ICSID inspection is 25/26 July and the schedule looks amazing.

You'll be able to follow the inspection team around too!

[Lydon]

Why do we have two threads?

[Mo Rush]

Good point. This is the Events section so it made sense.

[Mo Rush]

Table Mountain will light up in yellow for the week leading up to the inspection by the Judges of ICSID.

A full itinerary has been planned, and while confidential, it's quite amazing.

They are treating the event like an IOC inspection.

[Urban Rambler]

Yellow flags around CTICC. Trees on Heerengracht wrapped in yellow.

[Lydon]

The flags around the CTICC look cool. Glad they're making an effort!

[Mo Rush]

Follow the inspection live from our twitter account.

[Mo Rush]

Cape Town Fashion Week's rousing success raises South Africa's international fashion stature

Issued by: South African Tourism
19 Jul 2011 09:50Submit a commentBizLike
Table Mountain, Boulders Beach, Robben Island, Camps Bay, Bo-Kaap... Cape Town Fashion Week. It may not have the stature of New York, Milan, Paris or London just yet, but ask anyone that attended one of the shows at the Cape Town Fashion Week, held this week from 13-16 July 2011, and they will tell you that attending a show at the Mother City's premier fashion event is an experience to add to any traveller, or local's, must-do list.
Unlike fashion weeks in the more established fashion capitals of the world, where attending the shows is strictly reserved for the fashion elite - buyers, media and A-list celebrities, the Cape Town Fashion Week allows anyone, fashion guru or not, to, even just for a night, be let into the world of the buzzing fashion scene in Cape Town.

That's not to say, however, that the fashion elite and celebrities didn't descend on Cape Town Fashion Week in numbers as model and businesswoman Kimora Lee Simmons and her Hollywood actor husband Djimon Hounsou, occupied front row seats, while celebrity E! Entertainment plastic surgeon, Dr Robert Rey, also brought star quality to the show as he showcased his saucy LingeREY range at Cape Town Fashion Week to excited audiences. This week's shows attracted considerable media interest, with the international media delegation including a team from China's Cosmopolitan Magazine and Brazil's Folha de Sao Paolo national newspaper.

"There's good reason Cape Town is always named as a leading city in the world to visit and has been named the best destination in the world by leading travel website TripAdvisor. Not only does it have arguably the best backdrop and beaches of a city in the world and infinite food, wine and adventure experiences, but it is also fast setting itself apart as a destination for lovers of fashion, design, music and art, with events like the Cape Town Fashion Week offering visitors and locals alike an opportunity to experience fashion talent of global distinction," says South African Tourism CEO Thandiwe January-Mclean.

January-Mclean said South African Tourism's partnership with African Fashion International, owners and organisers of the country's premium fashion weeks (Joburg Fashion Week, Africa Fashion Week and Cape Town Fashion Week), had considerably helped to promote and showcase an industry that brings so much colour, texture and style to South Africa's destination offering. Cape Town is already a leading destination for the global film and advertising industry and fashion is a natural progression.

South African cities are certainly beginning to make their mark on the global fashion stage. Last year Cape Town and Johannesburg both made it onto the Global Language Monitor list of the Top 30 Fashion Capitals of the World for the first time, coming in at 23 and 25 respectively, sandwiched between the undeniably fashionable cities of Rome, Buenos Aires and Prague.

"Events like Cape Town Fashion Week have certainly helped to raise the profile of the city and country in the local and international fashion arena and help enhance the country's qualities as a global lifestyle and design destination. Fashion Week not only gives our designers an opportunity to make a commercial success of their talents, but the media, buyers and fashion followers that it attracts from around the country, continent and the world bring tourism revenue to the city and positive international exposure," says Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Chairman of African Fashion International.

In the past five years since the inception of African Fashion International, it is estimated that 250 000 visitors have attended AFI fashion weeks and accounted for more than R45 million in spend.

The shows at this year's fashion week, held at venues around the city, were ablaze with colour, sophistication and energy as designers, both established and up and coming, introduced their 2011/2012 spring and summer collections to an excitable audience and to much acclaim. Fashion Director of Cosmopolitan China, Liu Yuewei, whose team covered the shows and shot on location in Cape Town during Fashion Week, was hugely impressed by what the city - and its fashion industry - had to offer.

"Cape Town is a city filled with mystery. It has a combination of nature, modern buildings and tradition that you can't see anywhere else. The fashion is special and unique and not similar to what I have experienced in other places," says Yuewei.

And a glitzy, successful Fashion Week has undoubtedly supported Cape Town's bid to become the 2014 World Design Capital. The title is awarded bi-annually by the International Council for Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) to give global prominence to cities that use design for their social, economic and cultural upliftment. Cape Town is up against Bilbao (Spain) and Dublin (Ireland) with the successful city to be announced in October this year.

"The fact that Cape Town has been shortlisted as one of three cities to be named as World Design Capital 2014 is evidence that the city has what it takes to be taken seriously as a fashion capital of the future," believes Bryan Ramkilawan, CEO of the Cape Town Fashion Council.

For further details and a wrap of Cape Town Fashion Week go to http://www.afisa.co.za/.

For images go to www.afi.sdr.co.za.

[Diggerdog]

Mo, apologies in advance if this has been asked - but when exactly are the inspections taking place - is it like, right now?

Also I would just like to note, given that the previous WDC cities were Turin, Seoul and Helsinki - and we are now shortlisted with Bilbao and Dublin - that this is ALREADY a beautifully designed feather in Cape Towns cap!

We are in esteemed company here, and along with all the 'best city' awards, this is just a fantastic time for Cape Town.

[Mo Rush]

It takes place on Monday and Tuesday, both full days, and covering many parts of Cape Town, from the CBD to Khayelitsha to Stellenbosch.

I would share the itinerary if I could but its confidential.

[Mo Rush]

Getting dressed for #wdc2014 success – a photo essay
The city is going yellow in celebration of the World Design Capital visit next week, starting with our marvellous mountain. How are you flying your #wdc2014 colours?







Trees in Heerengracht have been wrapped (in the words of The Sowetan this morning: “The City of Cape Town is going yellow in an attempt to turn the cities of Bilbao in Spain and Dublin in Ireland green.”)





Our #wdc2014 flags are flying

[Urban Rambler]

Those tree trousers really make the Heerengracht look cool.

[Mo Rush]

Judges have arrived and use MyCiTi bus from airport to hotel in CBD, with Mayco Member for Transport, Roads providing the talk/intro on the way to the CBD

[Mo Rush]

Great start to the inspection with the breakfast presentations this morning.

Helen was absolutely superb, sharing her new found understanding of design.

Tour of CTICC kitchen was amazing too. Like an engine room.

Message was clear today that Cape Town, unlike other RSA cities, will not buy events.

[Nostra]

Good luck, hope you get it. Kaapies might be a lot a bunch of slackers, but goddamn, you okes are hella stylish. Got that hobo-chic look downpat, straight!

[annman]

Hobo-chic! Sies man!

[Mo Rush]

I don't think many realize that the bid is also being used to create deadlines for funding i.e. more urgency for public sector projects or partnerships e.g. Tutu Peace Centre, Summer Pavilion etc.

Annman, good to meet you finally last week. Keep pushing on and I will too

[Nostra]

Originally Posted by annman

Hobo-chic! Sies man!

True, first time I saw a grown man wearing a suit and brogues with no socks on was in CPT.