Wool and Mohair

The Eastern Cape is a leading world producer of high-quality merino wool and mohair luxury fibres. A significant proportion of the province’s wool and mohair is exported unprocessed or semi-processed and the sector has very good expansion potential. More than 150 years in wool and mohair has given the province valuable expertise in farming, technology, training, production and marketing. New investment will allow increased value-added to the province’s excellent raw materials through the production of innovatively-designed, high-value wool and mohair products for worldwide niche markets.

New international market opportunities are available, especially in the USA and the EU. Opportunities fall into a series of categories, including expanding production. The core opportunity is to bring together design, technology and investors to seize the new export opportunities for a wider range of high value wool and mohair products.

SOME OPPORTUNITIES:

• High-value fashion knitwear: Major opportunities for buying partnerships and joint ventures with investors. Fashion jerseys, sweaters and other knitwear.
• Integrating design with production: Brand Xhosa design through fashion shows, support to designers and links to clothing companies and crafts.
• Natural/synthetic fibre mixes: Opportunities to use wool and mohair in an integrated mixed fibre textile mill/ clothing cluster at East London IDZ.
• Production networks: Networks of black small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) weavers producing luxury goods with an African design identity.
• Wool and mohair yarns: Increase the range of pure and mixed fibre yarns for knitted and woven garments.
• Worsted cloth and garments: Room to expand South African capacity in light weight and leisure cloth, suits and jackets using ‘light wool’.

USEFUL CONTACTS:

• ECDC textiles and clothing specialist
— Tel: 043 704 5606 | E-mail: mohair@ecdc.co.za | Website: www.ecdc.co.za
• Cape Wools:
— Tel: 041 484 4301 | Website: www.capewools.co.za
• CSIR - Centre for Fibres, Textiles & Clothing (CFTC)
— Tel: 041 508 3262 | Website: www.csir.co.za
• CSIR - Cultural/craft Industries Design Unit
— Tel: 041 508 3237 | Website: www.csir.co.za
• Mohair SA
—  Contact person: Deon Saayman
Tel: 041 487 1386 | E-mail: info@mohair.co.za | Website: www.mohair.co.za
• National Wool Growers Association (NWGA)
— Tel: 041 484 1536 | E-mail: nwga@eastcape.net
• National Wool & Mohair Cluster Initiative (DTI)
— Tel: 021 671 1702
• Wool and Mohair Beneficiation Programme
— Tel: 041 508 3290