Name: Shweshwe Protea (Hand Made)
SKU: 2076
Price: 12.50 EUR
Availability: InStock

Shweshwe Protea (Hand Made)

€12,50

This product is hand made in South Africa by Glad Mary Projects empowering persons with physical disabilty due to work related accidents, We are glad to have companies like this supporting the iniative to give back dignity to persons who have given a lot to society

Available on backorder

Description

Shweshwe is a 100% South African cotton fabric that is produced using traditional methods.

The indigo fabric “Shweshwe” (also known as “Shoeshoe” or “Isishweshwe”) is named after the legendary Basotho Chief Moshoeshe the First. In 1840, French missionaries presented Moshoeshe I with this material as a gift. The chief and his subjects developed a great fondness for this material. To date, the proud women of Basotho clothe themselves in Shweshwe for special occasions. The fabric is part of the traditional costumes of the Basotho and is carried to important ceremonies in rural areas.

Today, a British-South African Company called Da Gama Textiles, which has the sole production rights, produces “Shweshwe” in Zwelitsha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Shweshwe is still produced in the traditional way using the so-called “Blue Print” copper-fed printing method. This exotic material has a distinctive fragrance and stiffness before the first wash. These properties are due to the traditional production process. After the first wash, the beautiful cotton fabric is soft and odorless. Recently, Shweshwe has become increasingly popular with western fashion designers.