Soft Landing - The Story of a Journey
The story of South African mohair begins with a voyage - a serendipitous gift from the Sultan of Turkey in 1838, when a small flock of Angora goats arrived on the Cape’s shores. Among them, a single ewe unknowingly carried the promise of a new lineage. From that quiet beginning, and from the vast stillness of the Karoo where they later thrived, a legacy of luminous fibre was born.
Nearly two centuries later, Soft Landing, an editorial created by Twyg for Mohair South Africa’s 2025 Inspiration Collection, returns to those same Cape shores. Set against the windswept coastlines of southern Cape Town and produced by Tandekile Mkize, it tells a visual story of mohair’s enduring grace - of a noble fibre that found a home where fortune met landscape.
The collection itself was designed by The Sophie Steller Studio in London, who drew inspiration from Fauvism and early 20th-century painters, exploring how to “paint” with a palette of mohair. Made from South African-grown fibre, spun by 12 international mills - including Stucken and Samil locally - and crafted in the UK and China, the collection debuted at Pitti Immagine Filati earlier this year, connecting South African mohair to the global design and knitwear community.
Now, returned home through this editorial, Soft Landing celebrates mohair’s full circle - from Karoo farms to international runways, and back to the place where its story first began. A story of movement, colour, craftsmanship, and connection - woven into every fibre.
Client: Mohair South Africa
Designer: Sophie Steller
Manufacturer: Soul Stitch
Production: Twyg Magazine
Creative Direction & Styling: Tandekile Mkize
Photography: Keith Virgo
Production Assistant: Larah Fisher
Models: Nondi Beattie (Boss Model Management) & Leigh Jansen (Circle Model Management)
Hats: Crystal Birch
Jewellery: Kirsten Goss
Spinners:
- Stucken Yarns
- Ilaria
- TopLine
- SAMIL Natural Fibres
- Lanificio dell'Olivo & Filidarte Group
- Lineapiu Italia
- Filati BE.MI.VA.
- Filpucci
- Igea
- Pool Filati
- Industria Italiana Filati & Accademia
- Polipeli