Made in Everywhere

Made in Everywhere is a start-up, co-founded by two sisters, Michelle and Natasha Talliard. The Made in Everywhere brand was conceptualised by Michelle about three years ago but really started taking shape when Natasha entered the Telkom Future Makers Innotech Programme in June 2016. The Innotech Programme is an incubation and acceleration programme run at the Bandwidth Barn, in Woodstock for entrepreneurs who have a great idea and want to develop it into an actual business.

The initial idea came from wanting to “rebrand communities”. Anyone having spent their formative years in Mitchell’s Plain or any other community/township on the Cape Flats knows all too well the stigma and negative publicity attached to these areas.

In light of the negative perception, which is grossly exaggerated at times by the media; these extraordinary legacy rich communities which have so much to offer with regards to innovative ideas, products and historical places are being overlooked.

The idea behind the creation of Made in Everywhere is to highlight and celebrate these forgotten places which were the result of apartheid spatial planning. Showcasing the positive and poignant stories of these previously disadvantaged communities, honing in on the successful entrepreneurs who have risen above their dismal living conditions to achieve and realise their dreams. The aim of this idea is to build a platform for these communities to give them an opportunity to showcase their ideas, allowing locals to connect; to create an open space and build interest in developing new places and investing in forgotten ones.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship are the current buzzwords but for the inhabitants in some of the Western Cape communities it has always been a given as part of their means to survive, by engaging their skills and enterprising ability that is the only way they were able to earn a living. Trade secrets and cultural knowledge passed down from generation to generation – in some way the ancestors of modern day entrepreneurs are the real innovators – this is what Made in Everywhere intends to showcase.

Amidst the political uncertainty, the numerous #MustFall movements, rising unemployment, the naysayers…there is indeed another side – an upside (depending on one’s view of course). The start-up ecosystem remains upbeat and positive. The agenda of Made in Everywhere is to promote the positive, hone in on the good with the hope that these communities, locations and townships will become reimagined, represented and revived! #ReimaginedSpaces