Zorora: Meet Designer Bryan Dillion

Bryan Dillion

At the core of Zorora is the belief that everyone should have access to nice furniture. The brand believes that quality furniture shouldn’t be a luxury. As a result, they use premium materials and unique designs to create furniture that feels nicer, lasts longer and is locally made. Today we hear from designer Bryan Dillion about Zorora’s growth, new trends and exciting collaborations.

What inspired Zorora to open its new flagship experience centre in Kramerville, Sandton?

We loved having a space in Kramerville & felt at home. We are energized and inspired by being in the design hub of Johannesburg and came across a space that we couldn’t ignore. We took the opportunity to grow into our new home.

2. Can you share more about the design and concept behind the new showroom? How does it reflect Zorora’s brand identity?

Our first objective was to create a space that merges our retail shopping experience with our trade business, Zorora Connect.

We wanted a clear journey through the space that allows for customers & partners to experience their own version of the showroom that fulfils their specific needs. As a customer, you can touch, sit & lounge across our retail offering while being able to get a hands on approach to their fabric choice. For the trade partners, we focussed on demonstrating our skills in manufacturing and upholstery. We exhibit and show off our fabric partners and intentionally create beautiful sofas to be show pieces and take up room visually & physically. Trade partners are givien the opportunity to select & customise more touch points of their sofas and really own their experience.

As a young brand, we know the importance of establishing our brand identity. The flagship showroom sets the tone for our brand and future projects to come. Our proudly South African ethos is clear in the space and welcoming for friends as well. We can’t thank TCRPV enough for bringing our vision to life.

3. Zorora is known for providing luxury furniture at affordable prices. How do you maintain high-quality craftsmanship while keeping your prices competitive?

It starts with our design process as our engineers design with efficiency in mind. We maximise the output of our raw materials & streamline

4. How do you incorporate local craftsmanship and materials into your designs? What sets Zorora apart in terms of supporting local artisans?

We are working alongside a Capetonian artist for an exciting collaboration next year but also have a program called Zorora & Friends. Zorora & Friends is where we invite like-brands into our space to display their collections. As part of our lift as we rise ethos, we don’t charge these brands to be our space and allow them to advertise their craft & brands in a showroom.

5. What are some of the key trends you’re seeing in the luxury furniture market, and how does Zorora stay ahead of these trends?

There has been a shift from minimal neutral colour palettes to people being more adventurous with their colours and patterns in the interior design space. We love that this expresses personalities and creativity.

Another trend in the interior space overall is Nature, not only incorporating natural textures but people are wanting to be outside. We’ve taken the opportunity to design some outdoor furniture which we are looking forward to sharing.

6. What are your future plans for Zorora? Do you have any exciting new collections or collaborations in the works?

We are launching a range of sleeper sofas, two of which are in our Kramerville showroom. Exclusively available for purchase with our team.

For social customers who love to share, there is the opportunity to win our new “to be named” sleeper sofa.

We’ve also been working on our Mobile Showroom. Taking sofas to holiday destinations across South Africa, which is starting in the Garden Route this December.