Basotho Heritage Blankets, despite being largely unavailable outside of Africa for their 100-year-plus existence, are of such quality and have such a colorful, storied history that they are easily comparable to brands of a similar vintage, including Pendleton, Woolrich, and Hudson’s Bay Company. The widespread adoption of these blankets in Southern Africa was happening contemporaneously with the invention and popularization of dungarees by Levi Strauss & Co. in the United States. For the people of Lesotho, the blankets have become every bit as ubiquitous as denim and an even more important part of everyday life.
I first discovered the blankets while shopping for inspiration and materials at what has become one of my favorite stores. A million miles removed from the world of trendy boutiques, Bellstar Hardware is nonetheless very much a “lifestyle” store in the true sense of the word. It’s just a lifestyle different from the one celebrated in the world’s fashion capitals. The tiny space is filled to the rafters and above with more than 8,000 items. Here you will find mysterious colored powders and beads used in Sangoma (shamanistic) rituals, pangas (machetes) of all shapes and sizes, handcrafted leather horse saddles, and the largest collection of shweshwe (a waxed cotton textile native to South Africa) in the Western Cape. Owner Hashim Essack and his son Zubair do such a good job anticipating the needs of their customers that there is usually a queue to gain entrance to the diminutive shop—sometimes up to an hour long.
Having purchased my first Basotho Heritage Blanket with the intention of transforming it into a bomber jacket, I quickly fell in love with both the design and quality. I attempted to research the origin and history of the blankets online, but found very little information. This led me to get in touch directly with the manufacturer, Aranda Textile Mills.
Aranda, founded in 1951 by Dr. Rodolfo Magni when he emigrated from Italy to South Africa, is now a fourth-generation family business. Located in Randfontein—just outside of Johannesburg—the factory has grown substantially but remains on the same 17-acre site Dr. Magni purchased more than 60 years ago.
The company is a fully vertical operation employing more than 700 people. Everything from dyeing virgin wool to spinning yarn to the weaving of blankets takes place under one roof. The management offices and showroom are housed in an Italian-style villa of recent vintage—a visible nod to the Magni family’s proud Florentine roots.
Aranda has been the sole exclusive manufacturer of Basotho Heritage Blankets, as appointed by the royal family of Lesotho, since the early 1990s. But the story of the blankets goes back over 100 years. In 1860, King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the tiny landlocked mountain kingdom of Lesotho, was given a wool blanket as a gift. He was very taken with it and soon abandoned his traditional leopard-skin kaross in favor of the blanket. The Basotho people soon followed their leader, and to this day the blanket is an integral part of their lives. It is an essential feature of all life important life events, from marriage and childbirth to the coronation of kings.
In 1865, with his kingdom under siege, Moshoeshoe appealed to Queen Victoria to make Lesotho a British protectorate. When she agreed to his request, he spoke of her “spreading her blanket” of protection over the country. The Basotho Heritage Blanket has, in many ways, been woven into the fabric of the nation since its very beginnings.
Much of what I’ve learned of the Basotho Heritage Blanket story has come directly from Thomas Kritzinger. Now the marketing and sales director at Aranda, a position he has held for many years, Kritzinger grew up in the blanket business. His father, Johan, was a high-ranking executive at Frasers, which in 1877 became the first trading company to sell woolen blankets in Lesotho. As a child Kritzinger would travel with his father to trading outposts throughout the country, and he has worked in the blanket business his entire life. Over this time, he developed and has maintained a very close relationship with the Lesotho royal family. Through Kritzinger and Aranda CEO Nicola Magni’s invitation, I had the honor of being introduced to King Letsie III and Queen ’Masenate Mohato Seeiso at the Aranda Royal Fashion Affair in Maseru, Lesotho’s capital.
Kritzinger is a living repository of history regarding the blankets. Each design has a story—Badges of the Brave, from the Victoria England collection, pays tribute to the regiments of the British Armed Forces and the Basotho soldiers who fought in them during World War II. The Skin design was the first of the Basotho Heritage Blankets and mimics the traditional leopard skin. It was widely adopted during the rinderpest epidemic of the late 1890s, when the native animal population of Southern Africa was decimated. The Kharetsa design features the Maluti, or Spiral Aloe, which is unique to the mountaintops of Lesotho. This blanket is also featured in the permanent collection of the British Museum.
The more I learned (and continue to learn) about the Basotho Heritage Blankets, the more I couldn’t believe that something so unique and beautiful remained virtually unknown to the rest of the world. Late last year, I approached Aranda with a proposal to represent the blankets outside of the country. The company agreed, and I founded Mountain Kingdom to help tell this amazing story. This fall, Mountain Kingdom will be launching a handpicked assortment of the blankets at select premium boutiques worldwide. The story of the Basotho Heritage Blankets will not remain untold outside of Africa for much longer.
http://www.style.com/culture/style-map/2015/basotho-heritage-blankets
