About Justin Van Breda London
Now in its third decade, Justin Van Breda London offers bespoke furniture, textiles and interior design that evokes a curated yet relaxed way of living, distilling into a modern classic design aesthetic. The design house's work can be found in homes and showrooms across the globe.
Their South African community ventures began in 2019 - working with blind and partially sighted rattan weavers, emigre carvers and local furniture makers, culminating in the launch of the Africa collections in 2021. Cape looms is the natural evolution of those ventures and one very close to Justin and the team's hearts.
CRAFT SCHOOL : Campus Opening February 2026
The Craft School Foundation is a Non Profit Organisation, registered in South Africa, which aims to educate high school leavers through The Craft School. Students will learn a series of sustainable crafts and accompanying business and life skills, enabling them to either enter viable employment or, ideally, empowering them to go into their communities and set up small enterprises, employing a small team and creating a micro economy. At the same time the Craft School will set up a fully fledged sales and commercial platform to service the crafters; creating international exposure and secure buying opportunities for the international community. By closing the circle in this considered way, the funds paid for crafts made will come back to South Africa and stick with the maker of the item.
The initiative was born of the experience that each salary paid in South Africa can support c.5-10 people and the firm belief that, by creating micro pockets of education and growth, a society can transform from within. Creative high school leavers in South Africa have very little further educational avenues and this initiative would give them the opportunity to learn applicable skills and crafts that could be implemented in an enterprise on a grass-roots level.
The Craft School will aim to educate 200 students per annum and these students will be empowered to re-enter their communities creating 3-5 jobs. Each year this could impact the lives of 2,500 people living in low income or poverty environments. We envisage that the most successful graduates would be able to build and scale their enterprise through an in-built alumni network of skilled crafters who they could employ.
The school will set up continued mentoring programmes, online sales platforms, international exposure, and a continual marketplace for the crafts created by the alumni.