SA design duo on international stage
A WIN: COLLABORATION WITH CRATE AND BARREL IN US
Range consists of stylish baskets and planters made from PVC water pipes.
Having started their journey offering clients one product, Mo’s Crib has grown from humble beginnings to showcasing 35 products globally, and now the company is in partnership with one of the biggest retailers in the US, Crate and Barrel.
Launched by Pretoria-based sisters Morongwe “Mo” and Michelle Mokone, Mo’s Crib started off as a hobby in 2016, with the only product on offer being origami swan sculptures that were sold at local markets.
The product was awarded Best Product of the Market on its first outing and due to its growing success and popularity, the recycled PVC range of laundry baskets was introduced in late 2017.
By July 2019, both sisters had resigned from their full-time employment and made Mo’s Crib their sole focus and it continues to achieve exponential growth both locally and internationally. The PVC range of products consists of stylish baskets and planters made from PVC water pipes individually handpicked from landfills and construction sites around the country.
These are then cut into strips and neatly woven over four to seven hours to create the very popular PVC product range. Initially created just for laundry, the PVC laundry basket has proven to have multiple uses, including as large pot plant holders, outdoor poolside accessory holders, large toy holders, clutter holders and so much more.
The PVC planter is ultra-durable, washable, drainable and bug-resistant, with a unique, curved shape that allows for multiple uses both indoor and outdoors.
The sisters’ décor items exude luxury and elegance, but are also practical and sustainable.
This is at the heart of Mo’s Crib’s mission, which is to use its products to provide a solution to the most pressing environmental and social issues of our time, through the work of South African artisans.
Mo’s Crib has experienced both successes and challenges on their journey.
As a 100% self-funded business, it has been difficult for the company to meet the growing demand for its products due to limited cash flow.
And as a company run by black females in a male-dominated industry, creating space for themselves in this sector has been very difficult. Construction sites and landfills are earmarked as places that only men go to.
So seeing woman collect PVC water pipes from these spaces often results in them not being taken seriously, which makes building business relationships a tough task, said co-founder and lead designer Mo Mokone.
Despite these hurdles, the Mokones were not only able to build a thriving business, but they have also earned recognition for their elegant range of products from top local retailers such as Builders Warehouse, Woolworths and Mr Price Home.
And now they have also found a home in the US market through a collaboration with Crate and Barrel.
Securing the Crate and Barrel partnership will result in a greater trajectory for the company’s growth.
The company is staffed entirely by women and employees have access to a number of workplace benefits including housing, meals, transport allowance, as well as an on-site health clinic for the women’s basic medical needs.
Combining handmade in South Africa, a focus on environmental sustainability and empowerment of women makes Mo’s Crib the perfect partner for Crate and Barrel, whose passion is to “connect the creative work of artisans and designers to people and places around the world”.
Connecting the creative work of artisans and designers to people, places around world