People: Creating Skills, Work and Hope Through Responsible Design
- Nic and Nic
- Jul 26
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 6
The community behind every Nic & Nic product
Nic &Nic is based in Shiyalongubo, a rural community in the Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains of Mpumalanga. This is not a typical place for a design and manufacturing business, but it is the place we call home. Our work began with a simple belief: meaningful products can be created from waste, and
meaningful opportunities can be created in rural communities. For us, design is not only about the final product. It is also about the hands that make it, the people who learn through it, and the community that grows with it.
Why local opportunity matters
The Lily Mine tragedy deeply affected the wider Barberton area and surrounding communities. Many families and households experienced the impact of job losses, economic uncertainty and reduced opportunities. In rural communities like ours, unemployment is not just a statistic. It affects families, young people, confidence, skills and the ability to plan for the future. Nic&Nic was built in this environment, where opportunity is needed and where people are willing to learn, work and contribute when given the chance.
Training through real production
Our workshop creates practical training through real work. Team members are exposed to sorting, washing, cutting, sewing, finishing, quality checking and packaging. These are not abstract skills. They are hands-on production skills that can help people build confidence and participate in the local economy.
We also care deeply about creating a space where young members of the community can
learn, observe and see what is possible through creative work, discipline and entrepreneurship. The goal is not only to make products. The goal is to build skills, dignity and confidence.
Every product carries many hands
When someone buys a Nic&Nic product, they are not only buying a bag or accessory. They are supporting a chain of work that includes collecting materials, preparing them, designing, cutting, stitching and finishing.
Every product carries the story of the person who made it and the community behind it.
This is what People means to us.
It means rural talent matters.
It means young people should see opportunity close to home.
It means sustainability must include the people doing the work.
Growing beyond survival
As Nic&Nic grows, our aim is to create more stable jobs, more training opportunities and stronger production systems. We want to show that rural manufacturing can be professional, creative and commercially relevant. With the right partnerships, corporate orders and support, a small rural workshop can become a place of learning, production and possibility.
People. Planet. Profit.
People are at the centre of our work.
The planet gives us the materials we must respect and reuse.
Profit allows the business to survive, grow and create more opportunity.
For Nic&Nic, these three things belong together.