Slow Design with Modern Gesture (Candice Lawrence)

Shades and Layers returns for the New Year and wishes you all the good things you desire in 2022.

This is episode 7 of Season 3 of Shades and Layers: On Creative Entrepreneurship…

Today my guest is Candice Lawrence, Founder and Design Maker at the Cape Town-based furniture and interiors company, Modern Gesture.

 So, the picture of successful entrepreneurship that we are often sold is that of fast paced growth - you know, the famous hockey stick sales and growth projection, millions of dollars in venture capital investments and a superstar celebrity CEO. Nothing wrong with that, if that’s your vibe, but there’s a lot  to be said for a different approach.

 Candice and her team of four have been plugging away at their designs for the past six years and they are growing steadily and sustainably while achieving international success. I love the story of how Modern Gesture started out as a hobby. Most importantly, the impact that this team is having, not only aesthetically, but within their community, is truly meaningful and visible. 

 After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Surface Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, she soon won a prize for her now famous Woven Necklace Lampshade. That win catapulted her into full-time entrepreneurship, and the rest as they say, is history. 

 Starting with an in-depth description of her work, Candice shares her story generously in this conversation and I hope you will walk away wiser and as inspired as I was after listening. 

Thank you Candice, it was an absolute pleasure chatting with you.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Nando's
Woven Necklace Lampshade