20 Best Places to Shop in Cape Town, South Africa

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.

This spot houses two distinctively African brands under one roof. Chill Cape Town is a range of luxurious, utterly organic, all-natural, sustainable skincare conceptualized in the Mother City and made with African botanicals. Milles Collines is a clothing, accessories, apparel, and homeware brand born out of a partnership between a Rwandan seamstress and a Spanish design student who shared a dream of creating a luxurious line steeped in age-old craft traditions and exacting quality. Think gorgeous gold-and-black Halisi shawls, beautiful Kichana wraps, and shoulder-to-ankle Imara scarves.

Open since 1957, Clarke's specializes in African literature and nonfiction works, with a specific focus on southern Africa. There are new and second books to browse, including contemporary current affairs and historical rare finds. 

A surf brand named for an African water deity, this lovely boutique showcases distinctively African surfwear, boards, casual clothing, and beach gear. Even if you don't surf, plan a visit to look into the creative mind of artist-designer Peet Pienaar who creates illustrated graphics, imaging, and patterns for this world-class fashion label. You will also find them at the Oranjezicht City Farm Market. The company is also linked to an amazing charity called Waves for Change which teaches children to surf in places like Liberia.

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.

Behind its original Victorian facade you’ll discover one of Cape Town's most appealing collection of garments by African designers—labels to look for include Maxhosa Africa, Rich Mnisi, Sindiso Khumalo, Lukhanyo Mdingi, and MmusoMaxwell. Besides clothing, there are scene-stealing displays of top-end accessories, housewares, fragrances, ceramics, artworks, and books. The store's founder, designer Hanneli Rupert, conceived it as a concept store dedicated to sophisticated African design—she fashioned a dreamy, pared-down interior that’s as appealing as the goods on display.

Cape Town’s Katherine-Mary Pichulik has achieved global renown for her distinct jewelry designs. Inspired by her travels, she first gained attention by using rope combined with recycled glass, brass, fossils, stones, and other raw materials to create eye-catching neckpieces that are a remarkable reflection of African ornamentation. At this atelier just off Bree Street, you can find out more about the ethical brand and see the latest designs; be prepared to haul out your credit card for accessories that now also include earrings and bracelets, all of which retain that original spark of inspiration from Africa.

If you aren't crazy about traditional African artifacts à la Greenmarket Square, you might want to visit this store, which stocks contemporary and elegant African art and jewelry.

Cape Town's best independent bookstore has a fantastic selection of titles, with many classics and contemporary must-haves on all things African. It also frequently hosts readings and book launches and has a pleasant café downstairs where you can enjoy a cappuccino while browsing.

This by-appointment gallery and workshop showcases the artfully created ceramics of Michael Chandler whose work has been exhibited at the South African National Gallery. He creates whimsical and beautiful handpainted tiles, porcelain pieces painted cobalt blue, and works in ink on paper. Exhibitions by Chandler and other artists happen from time to time at The Voorkamer Gallery, attached to the studio.

If you visit this historic square, you'll see a plethora of stalls selling African jewelry, art, crafts, and fabrics, as well as clothing (especially T-shirts), and locally made leather shoes and sandals. It's not necessarily as authentic as it seems (many of the stalls might be owned by one person) but it's still fun to browse here for souvenirs and gifts. More than half the stalls are owned (or at least manned) by people from other parts of Africa, and if you stop to chat, you'll find political and economic refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo trying to eke out a living. Bargain, but do so with a conscience.

This fantastic seven-day-a-week indoor market is all about the food and drinks, although there are also a handful of shops selling clothing. It's a great place to get a variety of different kinds of food to share at one of the tables (upstairs there's a bit of a view and might be less crowded). There's occasional live music or a rugby match shown on the big screen. The bars here tend to be the busiest outlets of all and things can get lively as the night grinds on.

Greatly responsible for putting steadily gentrifying Woodstock on the map among Cape Town's hip, organic types who scoot in on their Vespas looking for artisan breads, pesto, home-cured olives, and fancy cheeses, this market takes place every weekend, rain or shine (most of it is sheltered). If you want to rub shoulders with a broad spectrum of Capetonians and eat fabulous artisanal everything, this is the place to be. The prepared foods are wonderful, and many of Cape Town's most beloved eateries got their start here; many of them still maintain a presence. When you're done browsing the food market, check out the crafts section with its lovely handmade leather goods, designer clothing, and jewelry, or go on to the various stores scattered across the Old Biscuit Mill complex. Get there before 9:30 am (or by 10 am on Sunday) or risk being crushed by the crowds, or perhaps finding that some popular foods are sold out. Music events are not uncommon, and craft beer and boutique wines are also for sale; there can be a bit of a party atmosphere on beautiful sunny days when mojitos and other tipples start flowing.

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.

You'll see some glorious cultural contradictions here. The lobby boasts lovely if dusty Victorian tiling, while the first and second floors are a beehive of traders in new and old folk art, with representatives from most locales in West, sub-Saharan, and southern Africa. Order a custom-tailored garment, choose a mask from among the many thousands, and don't be afraid to bargain.

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.

The people who work here are passionate about African music and eager to pass on their love to anybody who lends them half an ear. You could easily spend a couple of hours listening to any and everything in the store. With a listening booth to sample any CD in the shop, you're bound to find something here that captures the heart of the country for you.

Here you'll find a range of African fabrics, including traditional West African prints and Dutch wax prints. The store sells ready-made African clothing for adults and children, and you can also have garments made to order.

This has to be the most beautiful setting in the world for a fresh produce and food market—on the slopes of Table Mountain in the gorgeous suburb of Oranjezicht, with the harbor and city down below. Some of the veggies are grown just next door, on an old bowling green dug up and replanted in 2012. There's also a children's playground, a 300-year-old slave bell, and an old barn on the same site, which is also known as Homestead Park. The Oranjezicht City Farm market is a not-for-profit project celebrating local food, culture, and community through urban farming in Cape Town.

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?