Meet Our Artisan Partner
South Africa
Frances V.H.
FRANCES V.H Mohair is a women-led textile studio based in the Karoo, South Africa. Established by Frances van Hasselt, a designer and entrepreneur focusing on developing mohair textiles locally.
Raised on a mohair farm in the Karoo desert, van Hasselt has a deep affinity for this natural fibre. She collaborates with a team of women artisans, weaving a story about the origins of textiles, simultaneously allowing the natural environment to inform every aspect of their design and making process.
Mohair is an ancient and sustainable natural fibre. South Africa, and specifically the Karoo desert, is home to Angora goat farming and produces the world’s largest supply of mohair. Working purely with mohair, FRANCES V.H Mohair is one of the only textile studios developing a variety of products informed by the full life cycle of Angora goats and the environment to create work that allows for the raw material to define the final piece.
Van Hasselt traces the steps of textiles back to their roots; Fabrics that start with rainfall, the land, the importance of happy, healthy animals in order to produce quality mohair, the care of a herdsman, the quality of water, and the communities that nurture fabrics into form.