Seasons of Change | News from the Mungo Mill

Spring holds a special kind of magic. A feeling of renewal, a sense of optimism. Pulled along by the promise of change that extends beyond the cold chasms of winter. In the budding of new shoots that seem to appear slowly and then all at once, in the slow crescendo to warmer days, there’s time to reflect. Like all seasonal changes, spring inspires contemplation – caught in the cusp, there’s room to reassess.

There are of course hundreds of micro changes happening in the Mungo Mill daily. The turning on of the looms, the roll of the warp, the threads being tied on by hand. The slow drift of the ‘fly’, softly catching the sunlight. The turning of the pirns in the magazine. A roll of fabric carried by Gurshan into inspection. To be scanned and mended by Sitne’s careful eye. None of it in stasis. And even at the close of day, when the our looms are switched off, there’s a feeling – the air hangs thick; a vibration of sound slowly settling.

We’ve watched new products, new colours, come to life on the looms these last few months. The Boma Cloths – a longstanding favourite, now reworked and reimagined into a revived palette of colours. The iconic Vrou Vrou blanket, coaxed afresh into a kaleidoscopic vision. On our Lancashire looms we’ve been experimenting with something new. A double cloth blanket that uses a unique weaving construction to vary the design on both sides. A playful, modern technique brought to life on 120-year old weaving technology.

In August we were pleased to be part of the 2023 Africa Textile Talks, participating in a line-up of discussions that brought together industry changemakers from around the continent. From our Cape Town store on 78 Hout street, we held a conversation on the role of organic certifications, opening the floor to discuss relevant barriers, and issues of transparency. It felt refreshing to stand alongside a stage of forward thinkers, ideating around the power of design to support a people and planet-positive future. As South Africa’s first GOTS-certified company, we’re pleased to lead the way – understanding the importance of certifications to provide credibility in an industry aflood with greenwashing. And whilst we’re currently flying the flag alone, we hope to soon pass on the torch.

We have always found ourselves straddling two worlds – traditional tools, antique looms, passed-down craftsmanship, used to produce contemporary products. In a way that’s responsive to the times. As the year winds its way into that promise of summer – the light, the warmth, that feeling of abundance – we’re reminded of a few key things. That change for change’s sake isn’t the key. That ‘sustainable’ solutions that merely mask new ways to overproduce are far from the answer. That there are beacons of hope – a road to the future lightposted by impactful innovation.

Seasonal changes bring with them a call for balance. To move into a state of flow. And spring? It whispers warmly of growth. Of change. It feels to us the build up of something more buoyant, more optimistic. A season to rework, reimagine and re-inspire.

Read next: In Conversation | Mungo Mill Architect, Andrea Cristoforetti