In 1998, Master Weaver Stuart Holding came in possession of two restored antique looms. He used these looms to weave limited runs of beautiful homeware textiles from what he called his ‘working weaving museum’ – an old barn where passersby could watch him work. He sold the resulting small textiles in his wife, Janet’s, shop. Soon demand outstripped supply and Mungo expanded production to a mill housed in an old dairy building a few kilometres away. Years later, things have changed; we have left the cows behind, moved to our very own mill and opened four stores – three in South Africa and one in Charleston, USA. Our one-man team has grown to a family of over 80. Although we are growing, our foundational values remain the same – to produce beautifully designed homeware textiles, woven with care for our community and the environment.
In 2017 the Mungo team fulfilled a long-cherished dream; building their own mill on the grounds of Old Nick Village, near Stuart’s original barn, and next door to our flagship store. The Mungo Mill is a testament to their philosophy of transparency in the production process, with the entire mill open to the public. You can read more about the mill and how they make their fabric here. And those two old looms? Still going strong.
Here are their winter highlights:
Vrou Vrou
Through experimenting with intersections of colour and increasing the scale of the well-known plaid check, Mungo Designer, Lenore turns a classic design into something intriguing, graphic and contemporary.
Cobble Weave
A Mungo original weave, adapted by Master Weaver, Stuart Holding from a hundred-year-old hand weaving pattern.
Juno
A timeless design inspired by traditional coverlets, this versatile ‘good old’ blanket never goes out of fashion.
Chenille
From refined Herringbone weave to the bold Zig Zag. This range is woven with yarn-dyed cotton and viscose chenille ensuring that its brilliant colour will last for years to come.
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