South African mohair: production_ traceability and industry challenges
Graaff-Reinet (South Africa) - The Karoo_ a vast South African semi-desert_ is criss-crossed by dirt tracks. These paths lead to several centuries-old farms where angora goats graze_ raised for their mohair. The country accounts for over half of the world's production of this natural fibre.
Steel blades of pumping windmills are the only things punctuating the "veld"_ the South African grassy steppe. After several kilometres on a bumpy track_ scrolled gables_ typical of Dutch colonial architecture_ emerge.
"Wheatlands 1912"_ reads one of them. "This is the newest building here"_ explains farmer Lloyd Short_ who grew up on the 7_700-hectare family farm.
Wheatlands does not owe its reputation to the charm of its refined retreat. The treasure of the place is its angora goats_ unique animals with drooping ears_ curved horns and a golden fleece. Their silky_ downy locks sell for up to 900 rands per kilo and are used to make jumpers and knitwear_ most often blended with wool.
The Italian spinning company Vitale Barberis Canonico_ one of the most prestigious suit fabric manufacturers_ also sources South African mohair. "The first two shearings are the most lucrative"_ explains Lloyd Short. The seventh-generation farmer then collects an average of 1 kg per animal at the first shearing_ then 1.5 kg at the second. The weight then increases slightly with age_ but the fibre loses quality as the animal gets older.
He owns about 2_000 angora goats_ as many as his brother. The Shorts are fortunate to be the sole suppliers to a famous French fashion house. This is a way for the brand to ensure the traceability of its supply chain with a trusted producer and to protect its image.
South African mohair suffered a crisis in 2018 that left the industry wary. The animal rights NGO Peta had released a video of an incident_ which farmers claim is extremely rare: a goat being put down after an artery was accidentally cut during shearing.
Overnight_ many international brands publicly announced they were abandoning the fibre. It took two years to convince the fashion world to return_ following the implementation of a responsible farming label that includes third-party audits.
"In 2020_ the situation changed and demand started to pick up a bit"_ explains Marco Coetzee_ director of the industry's representative body_ Mohair South Africa.
From Turkey to the Karoo
The country supplied 56 percent of global production in 2024_ according to its figures. The sector provides around 30_000 jobs_ including hundreds in the Karoo_ which has become an unexpected home for the angora goat_ a breed originating from Turkey.
Its introduction in the first half of the 19th century is unclear. Was it a gift from an Ottoman dignitary or an import by a British military officer? Accounts differ_ but nearly two centuries later_ the angoras feast on the local succulent plants.
"You find magnificent species of the veld here_ sweet-tasting plants. Almost everything is edible"_ praises Sean Hobson_ owner of Martyrsford farm_ which has been breeding angoras since 1865. "Regions with higher humidity are not as suitable for fibre production"_ he details. "You find many more parasites and ticks there."
To protect themselves_ the goats are regularly passed through dipping tanks between the two annual shearings. A conditioner bath also serves to give the locks of hair a "good start" to "create that beautiful curl"_ according to Hobson.
"The whole world buys mohair_ primarily for its lustre. It's not just that it shines_ but it brings out the colours"_ describes Pierre van der Vyver_ general manager of the broker House of Fiber.
The scent of a sheepfold fills his warehouse_ where hundreds of mohair bales rest_ a stone's throw from the docks of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). Along with its main competitor OVK_ also South African_ they share more than 70 percent of the world market almost equally_ with neighbouring Lesotho alone accounting for 16 percent of it.
Almost all clients_ except for Vitale Barberis Canonico_ buy it in balls. It is processed by a duopoly_ again South African (Samil and Stucken)_ which shares the sector in the same proportions and processes fibres from Australia and the UK.
"The Chinese would like to compete with us_ but fortunately_ working with mohair requires a lot of technical know-how"_ analyses van der Vyver. "It's a much slower process than for wool. It's a special fibre." It thrives in the desert.