Karoo Dreaming

Designer Frances van Hasselt pays tribute to the place she calls home through beautiful, handcrafted mohair rugs that are inspired by its intricate landscapes.

- Annzra Denita

It all began on the southern edge of the Great Karoo. This semi-arid region of the Western Cape is where Frances van Hasselt spent her childhood. It is what inspires her – and it’s the birthplace of the world’s finest mohair.

Working with the luxurious yarn was always on the cards for Frances, who developed a love for it early on. ‘I grew up on a farm with a family who is passionate about Angora goats, which produce mohair. ‘I’ve always wanted to create an end product from it,’ she says, adding that working with the textile fibre was a ‘personal hobby’ at first. That hobby has now developed into a growing concern: Frances designs and sells exquisite handcrafted mohair rugs through her company, Frances VH Mohair, whose Raw Landscapes range uses raw, unprocessed mohair, while the Karoo Plains collection is made from machine-washed, combed mohair. The third range, Patterned Places, is inspired by the shapes and colours of South Africa.