On a farm in the semi-arid south of South Africa, herds of Angora goats feed on open land stretching to the horizon, their light wool gleaming in the harsh sunlight.
Connected by dirt roads and surrounded by remote farms, the sparsely populated Karoo region is at the center of the global mohair trade, supplying more than half the world's fiber known for its luster and softness.
A Cape Dutch-style gable at one corner of the farm bears the inscription “Wheatlands 1912”.
“This is the newest house on the property,” said Lloyd Short, who grew up on the 7,700-hectare (19,000-acre) family farm.
But the Wheatlands' reputation is not because of the architecture or rural charm, but because of the goats with droopy ears, curved horns and shiny golden wool.
Their silky curls can cost up to 900 rand ($53) per kilogram and are used in knitwear, often blended with wool.
Vitale Barberis Canonico, the Italian mill famous for luxury suit fabrics, is one of the first to source South African mohair for its yarns.
“The first two shearings are the most valuable,” said Short, a seventh-generation farmer, who harvests an average of between one and 1.5 kilograms per animal. Production increases slightly with age, but the value of fiber decreases over time.
Short and his brother each own about 2,000 goats and they exclusively supply to a major French fashion house, allowing him to trace its sourcing and protect his brand.
The industry's reputation was tested in 2018, when animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released footage of a goat killed after its artery was accidentally cut during shearing – an incident farmers say is rare.
Brands including Swedish H&M, American Gap, Zara and Topshop increasingly ditched mohair.
Confidence only began to improve after the introduction of independently audited animal welfare certification.
“Farmers undergo annual audits, so their brokers visit them once a year and then they also get audited by a third party,” said Marco Coetzee, director of Mohair South Africa, the sector's representative organisation.
– 'Special Fiber' –
According to industry data, South Africa is projected to account for 56 percent of global production in 2024.
The region supports about 30,000 jobs, including hundreds in the Karoo, an unexpected new home for the Turkish breed of origin.
It is not clear how goats arrived in the 19th century. Accounts vary as to whether they were a gift from an Ottoman dignitary or imported by a British officer.
More than a century and a half later, Angora has thrived on the region's lush plants.
“It's an incredibly healthy area, there are wonderful veld species, sweet plants. Almost everything is delicious,” said Shawn Hobson, whose family has raised Angora on their farm since 1865.
He explained that more humid areas are less suitable due to parasites and ticks.
To protect the animals, farmers dip them twice a year between shearing, followed by a conditioning rinse to help the fibers form their characteristic curls.
“The world buys mohair, first of all because of the shine,” said Pierre Van der Vyver, chief executive of broker House of Fibres. “It's very strong, doesn't break or shrink,” he said.
The smell of the shearing shed hangs in the air at their warehouse near the port city of Gkebarha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, where hundreds of bales await shipment.
Along with South African rival OVK, the company controls more than 70 percent of global supply, while neighboring Lesotho accounts for the other 16 percent.
Almost all buyers except Vitale Barberis Canonico buy mohair in bales. Processing is dominated by two South African firms, Samil and Stuken, which also handle fiber from Australia and the United Kingdom.
“The Chinese want to compete with us, but fortunately, there is a lot of technology involved in mohair processing,” Van der Vyver said.
“It's a much slower process than processing wool. It's a special fiber.”
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