On the Cusp Series: The celebration of textile art with Frances van Hasselt

This local artist is all about honouring the art of working with mohair.

Design is a way to capture stories and memories of places and spaces and recreate these moments into objects. For me, hand-made objects that are deeply rooted in the ecology of their origin hold a certain soul, texture and character that a user can feel.

It is this inexplicable connection and comfort that hand-made objects embody that connects the user to the materiality of its makeup and the human connection of the maker. To that end, I wanted to work in mohair, one of the most ancient, exclusive and sustainable natural fibres, the production and processing of which is geographically centred in South Africa. Having had the privilege of growing up on a family Angora goat farm in the Karoo, I have a natural affinity for the fibre and a desire to produce a high-end, local product that celebrates mohair's incredible characteristics and its unique South African heritage.

Made to order, we work with natural, raw material and never create simply for the sake of making. For us, the process of making starts with rain, the delicate ecosystem of the plant life, the quality of the ground, the role of herdsmen and the importance of healthy animals to produce quality mohair. From raw fibre, we move into the process of washing, cleaning, dyeing and spinning until, finally, the yarn ends up on the loom. In many ways, weaving and finishing are the last steps on an intricate and codependent supply chain. Understanding the connectivity between us and nature and the process needed to get from farm to fabric informs a more selective appreciation of the product.