5 Best Places to Shop in V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

This brilliantly curated concept store brings together a broad spectrum of South African designers who are either at the top of their game or rising fast. From beautiful clothing and accessories, handwoven grass baskets, and clay vases to beaded ornamental animals and locally developed fragrances and skincare products, there's a wide choice of functional and decorative products perfect for souvenirs and gifts or for you to wear right now. Between the coveted brands and labels, there's a line of goods made by in-house and up-and-coming designers, making this a place not only to browse and learn about local creativity but somewhere you'll want to haul out your credit card.

There are scores of high-end international labels represented by showy, extravagant boutiques within the V&A's main mall, but make the effort to seek out this shop created by South African fashion hero Laduma Ngxokolo, whose world-class luxury clothing mixes a bold love of history with a deep understanding of contemporary aesthetics. The brilliant entrepreneurial Eastern Cape textile designer learned about knitwear from his mother who sold second-hand clothes door-to-door to make ends meet. Now, having channeled his mother's courage and developed the skills of pattern making, textile design (ever inspired by Xhosa beadwork's intricate patterns, colors, and symbolism), and imaginative tailoring, his clothing line is at the very pinnacle of high-end African fashion. Even if you step inside only to get a peek at the result of his relentless hard work, this shop represents so much more than just a label that's captured the fashion world's imagination—Laduma is an exalted inspiration to countless young designers across the country.

Held weekends from 9 till 2 and on Wednesday evenings, the OZCF centers around a community-style fruit-and-veg section stocked with some incredible organic produce. Beyond that, there's an array of independent local farmers, artisanal food producers, chefs, and food entrepreneurs selling everything from fresh organic veggies to unique meats, cheeses, chocolates, fish, dried fruit, and nuts, etc. There are queues at just about every stall selling prepared meals—you can get everything from shakshuka to eggs Benedict on a rosti to Korean fried chicken—and there are drinks galore, hot and cold. Crafts and fashion vendors, plant sellers, and a few other artisans also trade here, so you can browse before or after you feast.

Some 150 vendors sell more than 365 brands of top-quality locally designed jewelry, fashion, accessories, pottery and home decor, and all kinds of arts and crafts. The market is open daily from 10 am until 6 pm.

This wine shop has a terrific selection and staff members who know their stuff. It has specially designed boxes to take a few cases home with you. And who could blame you?