Featured Supplier - Nomadic Thread Society
Nomadic Thread Society fabrics are sourced from India, Peru, Guatemala, Mali, Kenya, Tunisia, Turkey, and, Mexico, and focus on luxurious, high quality artisan made textiles.
Featured Supplier – Hinterveld
Located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Hinterveld has quickly risen to become a leading producer of premium mohair products. Ranging from home decor to fashion pieces, these products embody a unique sense of traditional African culture, rich with color, texture, and authenticity.
The history of mohair – the fleece of the Angora goat – dates back thousands of years to the cold Tibetan Himalayas, where the Angora goat originates. Mention is made of the use of mohair as far back as the time of Moses, giving this fiber a long and rich narrative.
Flash forward to the present day Karoo region of South Africa with its arid, hot summers, and it seems to be worlds apart from the frosty ice caps of the Himalayas. It is in this region, however, that the most mohair in the world is produced today. It is here that Hinterveld finds its home, carefully hand-crafting beautiful mohair goods for the home and fashion sectors.
In comparison to the long history of mohair, Hinterveld is relatively young. Based in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, the Hinterveld weaving mill is the latest addition to the family owned, vertical textile business, the Stucken Group. Five years ago the Group was approached by an existing weaving company that proposed an outright sale and takeover. At the time the Stucken shareholders felt that a diversification into further value adding through weaving was in line with the Group’s future expansion plans and vision.
One gets a sense of traditional and contemporary atmosphere when walking into this factory. Hinterveld still uses some specialized, older machinery that run on steam power, in comparison to the modern looms that tend to be electric. The business concentrates on working mostly natural fibers and products that carry a hand crafted appeal, so the looms run relatively slowly compared to looms running flat fabrics. There are approximately 20 looms and a total of 35 employees, making production thoughtful and meticulous with a careful eye on detail.
“We sometimes consider ourselves as a boutique weaving mill,” says Daniel Stucken, Managing Director at Hinterveld. “I believe that our strong focus on hand finishing differentiates us,” he continues.
Being a relatively small operation, Hinterveld is able to maintain a lot of authenticity in its manufacturing process. Not only are products hand-finished by a small team that is able to provide attention to quality and detail, but production and value adding is achieved with a constant eye on sustainability and environment focus. Stock management on farms ensures that all animal are well treated and the fleece is shorn by professionals to avoid any harm. Hinterveld’s downstream factories also recycle the water used in the washing and processing phases and the application of solar energy production is imminent.
Staying true to its roots, Hinterveld sources the majority of its raw materials at home in South Africa, a country acknowledged as having the finest premium mohair in the world. In fact, 60% of all global mohair is grown here, giving Hinterveld a competitive advantage when it comes to sourcing and producing the finest materials. Mohair itself is a much-desired fiber due to its natural qualities such as: A beautiful luster (shine), excellent dye absorption, superior strength, anti-flame and anti-odor. These qualities, mixed with creativity and design, is Hinterveld’s recipe for success.
Another angle that makes Hinterveld unique is not only its dedication to perfection and its use of fine natural materials, but also the influence that culture and tradition has on everything the mill produces.
“Elements that make Africa unique, such as culture, rich color and texture, is carried through into our woven fabrics,” says Stucken. Our fabric is typically strong in color, employs interesting weave patterns, and is multi-dimensional due to creative application of fancy yarns spun by our sister company next door.” Natural dyes are used in Hinterveld’s own dye house to produce yarns that are strikingly colorful and beautiful, giving off an aura of lush and rich cultural history.
Hinterveld supplies a diverse range of textile products to different niches, says Stucken. “Our foundation was built upon weaving mohair blankets. Since then we started developing an annual accessories collection that includes items such as scarves, shawls, and ponchos. Besides marketing the Hinterveld label through stock supported catalogues, we work extensively with independent brands who love our blankets and accessories but end up ordering unique designs that will remain original for their own brand”. With low minimums and an in-house design team available to assist customers with the design and quality selection process, working with this team is uncomplicated and fun.
However, the most exciting development in recent times for Hinterveld is the supply of beautiful fabric by the yard to high-end garment manufacturers, in a style dubbed “African Tweed”. Though tweed originated in early 19th-century Scotland and is marked by its distinct appearance in terms of color, use of wool and texture, Hinterveld has found a way to blend an African heritage with traditional, classic European trends to produce its own distinct style of tweed.
“If traditional tweed employs primarily wool, Hinterveld Tweed is an expressive combination of classic design, color, and texture, using a slightly wider combination of natural fibers,” says Stucken. “Tweed that has become integral to Hinterveld’s success and popularity with designers worldwide. It is this distinctive combination that gives our mill a personality and style. Hinterveld will be exhibiting in Paris at Premier Vision 2016. Since we are still a relatively young company, our capabilities are still a secret to many markets.”
Despite its small size, this mill is doing big things and has no plans in slowing down. Hinterveld supplies an entire range of products to different markets, both at home and globally, proudly bearing the Hinterveld “Made in South Africa” label.
Written by Vanessa Zdesar courtesy of Le Souk
Website: www.lesouk.co
