Further to yesterday's post about the surprising new textile trend — mohair (which is supplied most often by South Africa...), I was alerted to the November issue of O Magazine in the US, where a fashion spread with Mandy Moore features a beautiful orange scarf by BabyMo, handmade right here in Port Elizabeth.
A very kind man called Andrew sent this information, "Momento's of Africa which created the BabyMo brand has grown literally from nothing. It was originally a self help tapestry weaving scheme to assist unemployed people but in 1994 it was unexpectantly closed. A few of the original employees decided to carry on under their manager Lin Smith and the Port Elizabeth airport (ACSA) offered premises for the Momentos business. Shops across the country began to sell our products and suddenly there was international attention in what we were doing. This was how BabyMo started. The brand now provides employment to 68 people who have become an incredibly skilled team in producing all the BabyMo products by hand."
Of course it must be extremely heartening for these workers to suddenly find that they carefully crafted garments are finding their way onto the fashion pages of international magazines. And not out of pity or charity, but because they really like the feel and look of the products. What a way to start a Friday morning!