ShweShwe, iconic fabric of South Africa

Iconic South African fabric, the ShweShwe, pronounced “stranded cabbage” is a colorful textile that has won over the entire rainbow nation. It is found everywhere and it is expertly used by interior design professionals. Cushion, apron, bags, clothes, etc. Some even make them soft toys for children! Discover the history of this typical South African fabric and the best address to find the most beautiful pieces of ShweSwhe.

The process that gives such precise patterns comes from Europe. It was during the 18th and 19th centuries that European textile manufacturers developed this discoloration printing technique which is unique to South Africa today.

It was French missionaries who, around the 1840s, gave this print to Moshoeshoe I, Chief of the Sothos, the Bantu people of Lesotho. The latter was so seduced that he gave his name to this print from elsewhere. Some say that the word shweshwe is also associated with the rustle of the fabric “Shwe Shwe Shwe Shwe”.

A few years later, the shweshwe invaded South Africa. The German settlers in the Eastern Cape imported the beautiful fabric for their own needs. The Xhosa women adopted it very quickly, using this original fabric to make their traditional outfits. Made exclusively in Europe, the first South African production dates back to 1982, when the English company Tootal invested in the Da Gama Textiles factory located in Zwelitsha, in the Eastern Cape province. In 1992, Da Gama negotiated the exclusive rights and repatriated all the copper rolls used to make the ShweSwhe in its factory. The ShweShwe then becomes specific to the rainbow nation.

Today, this brightly colored fabric is exploited in various fields, which offers a multitude of choices to adorn your home and your wardrobe in the colors of South Africa. You can find it all over South Africa. One of the most coveted places to unearth the finest cushions, ornaments, lamps and other interior design items in shweshwe is the Milnerton Market which is held every Sunday morning by the sea. We invite you to take a tour. You can find antiques, vintage trinkets, vinyl records and other objects of all kinds, all with a breathtaking view of Table Mountain.