New mohair headquarters open

Unusual Walmer building will bring golden fleece closer to local consumers and designers

NELSON Mandela Bay is the world’s mohair capital and the industry’s new Walmer headquarters are poised to offer a one-stop solution to accessing the prized natural fibre.

With the region’s mohair more famous and well-loved outside the country’s borders, the mohair industry headquarters aims to make mohair better known to consumers locally as well as across the world.

South Africa produces the bulk of global mohair, with more than half the world’s mohair sourced from the country’s angora goats, largely based in the Karoo.

Launched this week and due to open to the public on Tuesday, the building – built to emulate two adjacent barns – houses a research library, conference facility, work space and a retail store that stocks international designs and products from about 20 local manufacturers.

Speaking at the launch on Thursday night, Mohair Trust chairman Davey Herold said the headquarters would showcase mohair and the various fabrics made from it.

“South Africa, more specifically the Eastern Cape centred on Port Elizabeth, has long been the leading producer of the best quality mohair clips in the world,” he said.

“This position of leadership re- quired our industry to work together and in the process we gained self-belief and the desire and need to make our product better known to both designers and consumers throughout the world.”

More than half the world’s mohair is produced in the country, with about 60% of that passing through the city, with a spinning mill based in Uitenhage and mohair being auctioned in Port Elizabeth.

According to the Agri Eastern Cape website, there are two dedicated mohair spinners in the region and the majority of the world’s mohair is processed in two plants in the Eastern Cape, anchoring the city as the unequivocal mohair capital of the world.

The headquarters bring together various mohair heavyweights, including Mohair SA, the Mohair Trust and the Empowerment Trust, and will afford budding designers a space to commercialise their designs.

The new building is expected to draw scores of national and international mohair enthusiasts.

“From within this beautiful new space, the inherent qualities of mohair and a multitude of fabrics created from it will be showcased and, more importantly, made available to young international and local designers,” Herold said.

“The search aids and work space will be provided for them and as they begin their fledgling careers they will be guided here and their first creation will find space right

ELEGANT HOME: Enjoying the spacious new mohair headquarters in Walmer are, from left, Mohair SA MD Deon Saayman, Mohair Trust chairman Davey Herold and Rothner Bekker

here to be shown to the commercial world. I think that’s particularly exciting.

“This building is not simply sym- bolic of the farm shed, it is where one can follow the progress of these creative products and designs – from the shearing shed to the catwalk floor.”

Construction on the building, designed by Jason Erlank Architects, began in April last year. The build- ing is aimed at reflecting the innovation in the mohair industry, which launched the international mohair mark last year.