theurbanative: design that means something

Johannesburg-based contemporary furniture and product design studio, TheUrbanative, has long explored the relationship between African culture and craft. Founded late in 2016 and formalised in 2017 by Mpho Vackier, a process engineer turned interior and furniture designer, the studio creates furniture, lighting and collectible objects with a strong commitment to local making, material exploration and the visibility of African design within a global contemporary context. For Vackier, design begins with people and the stories they carry. Growing up in South Africa, she was surrounded by different cultures, traditions, and ways of seeing the world, experiences that continue to inform her approach to design today.

From the beginning, Vackier was less interested in creating objects for beauty alone. “I wasn’t interested in creating objects simply because they were beautiful,” she says. “I wanted them to mean something.” That thinking has developed into a practice grounded in research and observation, where Vackier spends a lot of time understanding the cultural references behind a piece, the materials she’s working with, and the people making it. Her collaborations with local artisans and manufacturers have reinforced the importance of collective knowledge in the design process and that good design is never created in isolation. “It’s the result of many hands and many perspectives coming together,” she adds. “Today, my work is really about finding ways to honour African narratives while expressing them through a contemporary design language that feels relevant beyond a specific place or moment.”

Her belief in the value of different perspectives also informs her worldview on the future of women working across design and the creative industries. She points to the growing presence of women leading studios, manufacturing products, curating exhibitions, and building creative businesses, seeing this diversity as an opportunity to broaden the conversation around design. “What excites me most is that the industry is becoming more open to different perspectives and approaches,” she says. For Vackier, those differences are what allow creative practice to evolve: “Good design comes from people with different backgrounds, experiences, and ways of seeing the world, and I think that’s what will continue to push the industry forward.”

Having evolved from a furniture brand into a multidisciplinary design studio working across residential, hospitality, commercial, and commissioned projects, TheUrbanative’s approach is guided by storytelling, craftsmanship, sustainability, collaboration, and continuous design evolution. Ultimately, she hopes the industry continues towards a culture where creative practitioners are recognised for their ideas, the quality of their work, and the impact they make. For Vackier, expanding access to opportunity is not simply about representation. It strengthens the work itself. “The more opportunities there are for talented designers to contribute, regardless of who they are, the stronger the creative industry becomes.”

As Manor celebrates Women’s Month by spotlighting the women shaping South Africa’s creative landscape, Vackier’s practice offers a unique perspective on what contemporary African design can be. Her work demonstrates how design can hold craft and personal experience in the same frame, while continuing to evolve with the people and places that inform it. Through TheUrbanative, she continues to create objects that carry stories, reflect modern African identities, and contribute to an ever-evolving language of contemporary African design. In doing so, she also makes space for a future where more women can shape not only what we make, but how we understand design itself.