When deciding where to have the original designs of the Shwe Shwe Kimonos manufactured it needed to be in alignment with our ethos. It was important to us that the story reflected our values. That desire directed us to a place in Masiphumelele South Africa, just outside of Cape Town, called the Sewing Cafe.The Sewing Cafe has trained more than 100 unskilled and unemployed people from the Masiphumelele and Ocean View communities in Cape Town since 2012. They teach the local high school students how to sew and give the community a place to gather, learn, and grow. They're passionate...

How do you care for the items of clothing you love? The good news is for your shweshwe kimono it’s not difficult but it’s good to know. Shweshwe is 100% cotton with a coating of starch so it starts off very stiff. It gets pre-washed before sewing but residual starch may be present. So like a new pair of true denim jeans, the more you wash and wear the softer they will become.  The makers of shweshwe, De Gama Textiles, recommends to: Wash separately  40° Wash (104 F) Do not bleach  Do not tumble dry  Do not dry clean  Warm...

One of the missions of our brand is to learn about cultures through their textiles. Textiles, or fabric, contains within its threads, a woven history, a story of its origination. We believe learning about this origin story can help us connect to a place and its people a little better.  During my research, before coming to South Africa, I came across shwe shwe fabric and De Gama Textiles. The photos of the fabric looked so beautiful I knew that they would be a great fit for the kimono design I was working on. But it wasn’t until I was in...