Design Team are the designers behind the Olkapolka and Sillybilly clothing ranges, but first and foremost they are a textile business, designing and printing contemporary, topical South African inspired fabrics for interiors and upholstery. 

Lise and Amanda, the founders of Design Team pride themselves in having trained a team of previously unskilled workers to print accurate repeat prints using a freehand silkscreen technique. I visited the factory, where along with Lise, I met Wilna, Jennifer and Jean-Jacques – the lovely team that I work with on a regular basis. The factory was a hive of activity: I watched fabric being silk screen printed by hand, this was done by a team of two working carefully and methodically together. I also saw the finished prints being cured and set.