HOUSE PROUD
Whether you’re after a made-to-be-touched rug or functional, fun furniture (like a cabinet named after a character in Mad Men), these two homegrown homeware businesses. have got you covered.
Two businesswomen on how they set up their homeware start-ups
When the first rug you’ve ever made is chosen as Design Indaba’s Most Beautiful Object in South Africa, you know you’re onto something. Named after the revolutionary president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, the Sankara rug fuses African-style geometrical patterns with fresh, modern colours.
‘African textiles go way back,’ says Nkuli Mlangeni. ‘It was a language to document African stories. Because I was graduating, the idea of the rite of passage inspired the Sankara,’ she says. ‘I’m half Ndebele and half Swati, and the rug design is inspired by Ndebele graphics, whereas the colours are inspired by the attire worn in the Swati reed dance.’
Even though the Sankara designs are a celebration of Nkuli’s southern African heritage, she had to travel to far-flung countries to bring her passion project to fruition. After high school, she received a threeyear scholarship to study Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Switzerland. Then in 2016, as part of an extended six-month research programme, she went to South America to investigate the textile industry, travelling from Bolivia to southeastern Peru to learn about fabric and study different weaving processes. ‘While I was there, I met an amazing man named Mario who makes rugs by hand and dyes his own wool.’ She showed Mario some of her ideas, and he made a rug from her design. ‘It was a beautiful process to witness.’ Nkuli started posting pictures of her experience on Instagram. ‘People loved it, and just like that, The Ninevites took off.’
The Ninevites? Of course, there has to be a story behind a name like that. In the Bible, Nineveh was a city full of crime and wickedness, but God still wanted to save it. ‘The story of the Ninevites is the story of
South Africa, but people don’t like to talk about it because it’s not pretty,’ says Nkuli. ‘That’s why I called my business The Ninevites – it’s about trying to create a space where you can talk about things that aren’t necessarily making it into the mainstream.’
Handmaking a rug is an unpredictable process that takes about 10 to 12 weeks. The goat skin is sourced from Port Elizabeth and transported to the Karoo where an all-female weaving team hand-spin, dye and weave everything to custom order. ‘It’s a handmade product, so anything can happen,’ says Nkuli. ‘If there’s a storm for three days, the yarn won’t dry, so the rug is late. It’s not always in your control, so managing people’s expectations and being able to deliver are day-to-day challenges.’
Her favourite designs are part of the Imitha collection, which is named after her eight-year-old daughter – ‘Imitha’ means ‘sunrays’ in Nguni languages.
Earlier this year, Nkuli created a bespoke rug for Trenery, and another major collaboration is on the cards. ‘I’m very grateful to have a loyal clientele, that people come back and buy another rug.’
Nkuli would love to make the actual textiles herself, and is going to weaving school to learn the craft. ‘I want to learn the ins and outs so that I can potentially combine contemporary designs with the old tradition. I don’t know what will come out of that – maybe I’ll still make rugs; maybe I’ll make clothes. It’s kind of a one-day-at-a-time thing.’ theninevites.net