A new generation of creative voices is shaping South Africa’s design aesthetic. Launched in 2016 and 2021 respectively, Mash.T Design Studio, founded by Thabisa Mjo, and Meetlo Studios, founded by partners Oageng Manana and Tshegofatso Ramothibe, are reinterpreting heritage through contemporary furniture and objects. Their award-winning work sits at the intersection of tradition, materiality, and modern design, with each studio finding distinctive ways to reimagine the past for the present.
For Mash.T Design Studio, the Xibelani skirt, which is associated with the VhaTsonga people, becomes a statement ceiling pendant. Meanwhile, Meetlo Studios, inspired by the environment and lush landscapes of Southern Africa, interprets something seemingly mundane like molamu – a wooden stick used by the Basotho people for herding and cultural rituals – as a sleek sculptural chair.
Behind these distinctive pieces are two studios with different approaches, but a shared belief in the power of design to tell stories, preserve knowledge, and create something meaningful for the future.
Mash.T Design Studio
YLA: What inspired your transition from set design to furniture and lighting?
Thabisa: I wanted to tell stories through objects and spaces that people could live with and interact with in the real world. Set design is temporary by nature, while a product has a permanence to it.
YLA: Your first design earned an award that subsequently launched your product design career. What lessons did that milestone teach you about the industry?
Thabisa: It taught me that clients are looking for original work, but originality alone is not enough. They also value suppliers who are willing to collaborate, understand the vision they are trying to achieve, and are reliable.
YLA: Your latest collection, Axis, highlights apprenticeship and the passing of skills between generations. Why is this continuity important to your vision?
Thabisa: As technology and AI become more present, human connection and the knowledge held between people become even more valuable. Axis came out of that kind of exchange: experienced makers sharing what they know with a younger generation through time, repetition, and making together. The value of design in South Africa is also in the systems it builds around the object – the skills it sustains, the employment it creates, and the economies it helps to grow.
YLA: How did material shape the collection?
Thabisa:Axis emerged through working with mild steel. We began by asking whether the offcuts left behind after making one product could become the starting point for another. That question led to the first piece, and from there, the collection began to reveal itself. Its forms, connections, and relationships were all determined by what the material made possible.
YLA: How do you balance technology with traditional handcraft?
Thabisa: We don’t see technology and handcraft as opposites. The Hlabisa Bench is a good example – its frame is made using CNC technology, while the backrest is handwoven. The Tutu light combines laser-cut profiles with elements shaped and finished by hand. The first Tutu was bent entirely by hand and took days to produce. Introducing laser cutting gave us greater accuracy and made production more scalable, while the hand of the maker remained essential. For us, technology should support the craft, not erase it.
YLA: How do you ensure each design tells a story?
Thabisa: The story usually shapes the design from the start. Each piece reveals something familiar, sometimes through a form that feels unfamiliar. With Axis, the story is not only in its geometry, but also in the makers, the material, and the process of bringing it into being. There’s something honest and beautiful in allowing the learning process to remain part of the object.
“Technology should support the craft, not erase it.”
Meetlo Studios
YLA: What inspired the launch of Meetlo Studios?
Oageng and Tshegofatso: Looking back, our relationship as a couple gave birth to our business partnership. Meetlo Studios was born from the belief that great businesses need both creative excellence and strategic thinking, and we’ve tried to honour that balance from the very beginning. Furniture was the beginning of something much bigger, and our goal is to eventually build one of Africa’s leading design and manufacturing companies, creating products across multiple categories.
YLA: How does the natural world guide your design process?
Oageng and Tshegofatso: Rather than copying nature, we try to understand the principles behind it – its movement, resilience, and balance – and reinterpret those ideas into contemporary furniture. Our hope is that the pieces feel as though they belong naturally in a space, in the same way that nature belongs in its environment.
YLA: How does storytelling shape your collections?
Oageng and Tshegofatso:: Every collection begins with observation and a story. The Kharetsa wine server rack, for example, was inspired by the aloe succulent found in the mountains of Lesotho. What interested us wasn’t simply how the plant looked, but what it represented. It’s resilient, sculptural, and deeply rooted in the landscape. We wanted to capture those qualities in a piece of furniture.
YLA: How do you approach materials, textiles, and colour?
Oageng and Tshegofatso: We’re naturally drawn to materials that feel honest and timeless. Solid oak, natural textiles, and earthy tones all have a warmth that develops character over time. We love allowing the natural grain of timber and the texture of materials to become part of the finished piece rather than hiding them.
Our palette is also influenced by the landscapes around us. The earth, stone, clay, and vegetation found across Southern Africa have an understated beauty that continues to inspire us. We want our work to feel calm and grounded.
YLA: How does shape guide your design choices?
Oageng and Tshegofatso: Before materials or finishes, we consider form and proportion. We’re interested in creating pieces that feel sculptural from every angle while remaining functional in everyday life. Much of that comes from observation, where you often find geometry and organic movement existing together. We enjoy exploring that relationship, creating pieces that feel soft yet structured, familiar yet unexpected. Every curve and proportion has a purpose because shape influences not only how a piece looks, but also how people experience it.
YLA: How have Sotho and Batswana traditions, forms, and customs shaped your designs?
Oageng and Tshegofatso: Both of us grew up in Sotho and Tswana communities, so those are the stories, values, and traditions that shape our worldview. They gave us an authentic place to begin. Rather than reproducing traditional symbols, we’re interested in translating the essence of those cultures, the sense of community, storytelling, and connection to nature into contemporary furniture. We believe meaningful design starts with honesty.
“Meaningful design starts with honesty.”
