The influence of mission work on South Africa’s textile history involves contradictory dynamics. As a reflection of the complex nature of our country, tapestry-making is a crafting technique introduced by Anglican missionaries in the early 19th century, which involved the provision of weaving skills and materials brought from the United Kingdom; though, such initiatives were very often intertwined with broader agendas of cultural assimilation, economic exploitation, and religious domination.

For the purpose of our inquiry into this tradition within the South African context, we sought to understand this colonial inheritance through a dialectical view: the narrative of missionaries as benevolent educators must be balanced against their complicity in colonial violence and dispossession, as we emphasise how this technique of textile tapestry-making has been transmuted by South Africans into our cultural and entrepreneurial frameworks. 

Lukhanyo Mdingi has a long-standing relationship with Khayelitsha-based NGO Philani, an organisation set up in the 1970s by Dr Ingrid le Roux and her team. Philani initially served as a paediatric clinic in what was then a township known as ‘Crossroads’. Philani’s primary focus has always been the welfare of mothers and children, and this has since gone on to include maternal health programs, nutritional support, community empowerment and HIV/AIDS interventions. 

Further, the organisation introduced their ‘Income Generation Programme’, an initiative under Philani's broader focus on the indisputable link between socio-economic disenfranchisement and lack of accessibility to healthcare and education, and its implications as oppressing women and children. The programme is intended to empower women in Khayelitsha through income generation and skill development and their textiles-focused approach is realised through weaving techniques, with the affectionately known ‘mothers of Philani’ creating various woven objects and materials. Philani facilitates market access for these woven goods, ensuring a wider reach and economic sustainability. The weaving project has become a powerful tool for social and economic empowerment, addressing challenges within the Khayelitsha community and particularly so for some of the most vulnerable of South Africans; Black mothers with low-income status who despite their disenfranchisement, are often entirely responsible for the wellbeing of their families and communities.

It is within this context that Lukhanyo Mdingi has engaged with Philani, having first been introduced to the organisation by the late designer, Nicholas Coutts. Since the label’s award-winning 2021 ‘The Coutts’ collection, the addition of bespoke, handcrafted tapestries have become integral to Lukhanyo Mdingi’s design DNA, all made by the hands of the the mothers of Philani, in close collaboration through design with Lukhanyo himself.  

The exploration of Philani as an example of a South African textile tradition is curiously different to our often romanticised notions of handcrafting. The lineage of this tradition is a result of colonial influence, thus it is difficult to describe it wholly as a cultural tradition. Rather, the lineage of tapestry-making in this context traces an economic and entrepreneurial path utilised by South Africans as a means for income generation, in order to participate in the economic system of the country. 

As the mothers of Philani grow older, there arises a crucial need to equip the new generation with the necessary skills and knowledge to take over. Many of these dedicated mothers have been pillars of their communities however, with time, they may face challenges such as health issues or a desire to retire. It becomes imperative to ensure a transition by preparing a younger generation to continue Philani's vital work, and spotlighting an institution such as Philani cannot be achieved by a single label, such as Lukhanyo Mdingi. Theme I hopes to ignite an interest in fashion and interiors designers, researchers, historians, curators and creatives; to understand the inherent potential within our country to collaborate with skilled artisans, and in turn nurturing a wider network of creative praxes, informed by multiple vantage points within our society.