We named our shop, "Shweshwe" after the fashionable wax coated fabric of Africa. We loved the nuance of it's meaning, "the sound the cloth makes when you walk". For this sound defines a rhythm, pace and temperament of Africa, that translates into the collection of objects we have sourced by searching via our many sojourns to South Africa.

Wax print fabrics of Africa are loaded with colours, symbols and images that portray stories, and explanations of their culture. The eclectic mix of products in our shop all succinctly tap into this rhythmic story-telling; threading colourful and playful themes of community, SPIRIT, endurance and creativity.

Our products come directly from the makers ensuring that the product is responsibly produced, and necessary in the global marketplace. In sourcing products from South and West Africa, we patronise organisations and small businesses, which have increased self-sufficiency through educational, charitable and employment projects for disadvantaged community groups. Our search is not just defined by one source, as it extends to South America and Europe.

Shweshwe is an African shop with a difference, for here, as well as traditional and contemporary craft from South Africa, you can pick up independent Zines or artisinal fashion from Cape Town, felted rock ottomans from Jo'burg, hand-knitted monkeys from Kenya, curtains made from harvested plastics off the beaches of Madagascar; as well as wallpapers from Sweden, interactive wall art from Paris, and felted crafts from Berlin.

Within this melting pot of creativity, we can all find our own story, singularly identifying with the hybridity of aesthetics, in something that transcends fashion or hype; that inspires the imagination, speaks to the heart and makes us smile.