Frances VH Mohair
Frances van Hasselt is a South African textile designer and the founder of Frances v.H Mohair, based in Prince Albert on the edge of the Great Karoo. Raised on a family Angora goat farm, she developed an intimate understanding of mohair and the landscape that sustains it. Her practice encompasses rugs, tapestries and other textiles, created alongside women artisans through a locally rooted process. Drawing on the colours, textures and stories of the Karoo, Frances creates works that connect the expressive possibilities of fibre with the people and places behind its transformation.
THE PROCESS
For Frances, making begins long before the fibre reaches the loom. Rainfall, soil, vegetation and the care of Angora goats all contribute to the quality of the mohair. This understanding of the relationship between land, animals and people informs her approach to design, placing the origins of a material at the centre of the finished work.
The transformation from fibre to textile unfolds through a succession of skilled processes. Mohair is sourced either prepared or as raw locks, which are washed and opened before being spun by hand. Hand-dyeing develops the palette, drawing on the fibre’s natural lustre and its capacity to hold rich colour. Women artisans then work the yarn into woven textiles, with finishing and careful trimming completing the piece. Each stage contributes to its texture and character, connecting the final surface to the many hands involved in its making.
This collaborative approach extends across Frances’s rugs, tapestries and textile collections. In her knitwear collaboration with Leandi Mulder, traditional hand-spinning, dyeing and knitting techniques bring the same material into garments through an entirely South African supply chain. Across these different forms, the work carries an attention to provenance and the knowledge required to transform raw fibre. For Frances, a textile holds the memory of its surroundings, offering a tangible connection to the landscape and the lives that shaped it.
For available works, commissions or further information, we welcome your enquiry. We would be pleased to share a selection of pieces and discuss their place in your collection or interior project.