V&A Waterfront

A man who fell into the harbour at the V&A Waterfront was fortunately rescued thanks to the quick thinking of a skipper on a nearby boat. Image via Pixabay

Popular Cape Town market space reopens with special additions

The Watershed at the V&A Waterfront will reopen its doors again this week after being closed for over five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

V&A Waterfront

A man who fell into the harbour at the V&A Waterfront was fortunately rescued thanks to the quick thinking of a skipper on a nearby boat. Image via Pixabay

The beloved market space is one of the Waterfront’s top attractions, drawing over 3.6 million visitors a year who come to shop for exclusive and unique gifts and items.

Home to 150 tenants representing more than 365 local brands and small businesses, the Watershed offers a wealth of products, from handmade ceramics and home décor items to jewellery, apparel, and textiles. The marketplace focuses on nurturing and supporting local brands and creating opportunities for established and emerging artisans to showcase their works.

Some of the market shops available

The Beauty Box

The Watershed will welcome The Beauty Box to its repertoire of brands when it opens its doors again this week.

The Beauty Box will be a dedicated space for proudly African beauty products where locals can browse a wide array of handmade and locally-produced brands and products.

Some of the brands that will be on display in the Beauty Box will include Anim Naturals, Le Naturel, Peppertree, Skoon, Chill Cape Town, Olive Soaps Tintiloux, and Ubuntu Traditional Balms.

Amanda Laird Cherry

Another incredible addition to the Watershed will be local fashion designer Amanda Laird Cherry’s first stand-alone stall. One of South Africa’s top fashion designers, Cherry’s beautiful range of clothing falls in line with the made-in-Africa theme and is made in collaboration with local crafters.

Executive manager of marketing at the V&A Waterfront, Tinyiko Mageza, is very excited about the new ventures.

“The Watershed is a physical manifestation of what happens when you introduce the world to the passion, skill and innovation of Africa. We encourage all locals to come and meet Africa’s design story. These are the people behind the products and brands that need us to #supportlocal now more than ever,” she says.

Safety first

The V&A Waterfront is the first travel destination in South Africa to have been awarded a Safe Travels stamp by the World Travel and Tourism Council, the world’s first global safety and hygiene accolade for travel and tourism that was developed to specifically address the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the V&A Waterfront encourages visitors to come and visit the Watershed and support local artisans and designers, there will still be strict protocols and measures in place to ensure safety for all the people who work at and visit the market.

The Watershed will officially be open to the public from 10am on Thursday, 3 September.