Inspired by South Africa’s wildlife, flora and landscapes, Nehanda Design creates handcrafted mobiles and décor that sit at the intersection of design, storytelling and family life.
But as the business has grown, Magan has had to navigate a challenge familiar to many small creative businesses: how to preserve craftsmanship and local production while building a commercially sustainable brand.
Heritage Month provides an opportunity to reflect on that journey — and on the role that locally made design can play in South Africa’s creative economy.
“I’ve always been passionate about life sciences, wildlife and spending as much time as possible walking through the wilderness, so much of my inspiration comes from the incredible natural heritage around us,” says Magan.
For her, the animals, plants and insects indigenous to South Africa provide more than visual inspiration. They offer stories about the relationship between people and the natural world.
“There are so many stories to be told through the animals, plants and insects indigenous to South Africa,” she says. “Stories that connect people to the planet, and that can tell us much more about our own history as humans.”
Nehanda Design began with Magan creating commissioned mobiles using her own skills. As demand grew, the business evolved into a model that included local artisans, including women who could work flexibly from home.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, Magan trained and employed women from their homes as demand for the mobiles increased. The business has since developed a skilled artisan base, including people with experience in fine needlework.
That growth has required Magan to constantly assess where craftsmanship adds value and where production processes can be streamlined.
Her background in Industrial Design has proved useful in making that distinction.
A King Protea mobile, for example, initially featured an intricate hand-embroidered pattern on its white core. But when Magan trained another staff member to replicate the process, it took significantly longer to produce.
She eventually replaced the embroidery with a simpler painted pattern — creating what she describes as a better-looking product while significantly reducing production time.
“The piece is still handcrafted, but the processes to make that piece have been streamlined for commercial purposes,” she says.
For Magan, that kind of optimisation is an ongoing process rather than a once-off exercise.
“It’s a constant balancing act, and one I work through with my team on a weekly basis.”
Local production is central to Nehanda Design’s business model, both from a social and operational perspective.
Keeping manufacturing close to home allows the business to work directly with artisans, experiment with new materials and designs, and respond quickly to changes.
It also reflects Magan’s broader philosophy as an industrial designer and business owner.
“Having a positive impact on people and planet has always been one of my guiding principles,” she says.
Her approach to local sourcing is also informed by research into supply chains and sustainability. Magan says reducing the distance materials travel can sometimes have a greater environmental benefit than importing materials that are marketed as organic or sustainably produced.
For small South African craft businesses, however, building local supply chains can be challenging. Skilled labour comes at a premium, while maintaining consistency and efficiency becomes increasingly important as demand grows.
For Nehanda Design, the answer has been to build gradually while retaining close relationships with the people involved in production.
In a retail environment increasingly dominated by international brands, large marketplaces and mass-produced products, Magan believes independent South African businesses have another asset: human connection.
Nehanda Design customers can visit the studio, meet the people making their products and communicate directly with Magan through email, WhatsApp or phone.
“I believe small, locally made brands like Nehanda Design can offer a human-to-human experience that mass-market businesses simply cannot,” she says.
That relationship has become increasingly relevant as customer service becomes more automated.
“In an age of AI chatbots and increasingly limited customer service, I think this softer side of business makes a huge difference.”
For Magan, buying locally is therefore not only about the product. It is also about knowing who is being supported by the purchase.
Wholesale has played an important role in expanding Nehanda Design’s reach, but Magan says not every retail relationship is necessarily the right fit for a small craft business.
The brand is particularly focused on independent retailers that understand handcrafted products and actively celebrate South African design.
“The best partners for Nehanda Design are unique, independent retailers who understand the value of handcrafted products and celebrate South African design,” she says.
For those retailers, the product story is part of the proposition.
“They don’t simply stock our products; they understand the story and value behind them and can communicate that to their customers.”
Past experiences, including losing retail partners such as TFG, have also helped Magan become more deliberate about where the business invests its time and energy.
Nehanda Design’s positioning around products that can become keepsakes also reflects a broader consumer conversation around waste, mass production and fast consumption.
Magan believes there is a growing opportunity for products that are made slowly, designed to last and become part of family life.
“I believe there is a huge opportunity for products that are made slowly by human hands, designed to last and become part of a family’s story for generations,” she says.
That philosophy extends beyond the initial purchase. After-sales support, repairs and maintenance are part of the brand’s approach to making products last.
The opportunity, she suggests, is not simply to sell fewer products. It is to create products with enough emotional and functional value that consumers want to keep them.
The brand’s own name carries another layer of heritage.
Magan chose the name Nehanda after Mbuya Nehanda, the influential Zimbabwean spiritual leader and historical figure. For Magan, carrying the name is both a personal connection and a responsibility.
“Carrying the name Nehanda fills me with both pride and responsibility,” she says. “I feel incredibly honoured to carry the name of such an iconic African woman, and it is a constant reminder of who I am and what my purpose is.”
The name also reflects the values she wants embedded in the business: freedom, storytelling, community and care.
It is part of a broader ambition to make African history and stories more visible while creating contemporary products that can travel beyond the local market.
International expansion is increasingly part of that ambition.
Nehanda Design’s mobiles have already found their way into homes around the world, while Magan has attended three international trade shows over the past year — two in Paris and one in New York City.
The experience has reinforced her belief in the quality and potential of South African design.
“I’ve come away feeling incredibly inspired by and proud of the design coming out of South Africa,” she says.
The next step is to build on that exposure, with the possibility of placing Nehanda Design products in independent retail spaces internationally.
At the same time, Magan sees opportunities to broaden the product range beyond mobiles and décor into more interactive and sensory products for the whole family, using natural and waste materials.
Ultimately, she imagines a future Nehanda Design retail space as “a sanctuary of stories, texture, movement and comfort”.
For Magan, however, growth is not simply about increasing sales or distribution. It is about demonstrating what a small South African design business can contribute to its communities and to the wider creative economy.
“I hope Nehanda Design can contribute to the South African design and creative economy by supporting local communities through flexible employment, encouraging other small craft businesses to start and persist, and creating products that make people go ‘Oooh’ and ‘Aaah’ while holding meaningful value for generations.”
