Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy aside, most people don’t get overly excited about towels. But the new Itawuli Collection from the South African weaving virtuosos at Mungo has us seriously worked up in a lather. We just launched them on the site this week and can’t rave enough. Super thin, super durable, super absorbent—and even more so, the pattern and colors are just brilliant. So we reached out to Mungo’s founder Stuart Holding to find out more about the story behind our new favorite towels.

WC: What prompted you to launch Mungo back in 1998?

SH: I’ve always been a weaver, and Mungo began as a passion project. I was given a few antique Hattersley looms that were left for scrap and restored them and began to weave small items like dishcloths and scarves. From there, the design juices started to flow, and the project grew into the much wider homewares line that it is today.

WC: Why does using antique looms lead to such a unique product?

SH: Antique looms allow us to experiment with design and to produce certain quirks, like having a true selvage. Many of our collections derive from vintage patterns that are all hand-worked and sampled on the antique looms and then transferred to modern machines essential for production capacity and fabric width. In the end, we’re able to combine a multitude of technical, historical, aesthetic, and ethical ideas into the design, production, and distribution of our fabrics.

WC: What role do ethics play in Mungo’s approach?

SH: In the last 20 years, South Africa’s small textile industry has been slowly declining; it’s now virtually nonexistent. Through these times, I have always maintained that it is essential to operate within a niche market, with customers who make informed and considered choices. The current environmental crisis means that of necessity we need to make products that are durable and sustainable. We achieve this by using sustainably-sourced, natural fibers constructed to last.

We also have a strong ethic in fair trade and empowering our local community. Giving woman in disadvantaged communities the opportunity to hand knot scarves and fringing, as well as training and mentoring a core group of staff—providing skills and knowledge that include weaving as well as business courses, driving licenses, and more.

WC: What is the story behind the name?

SH: The word "mungo" is an old textile term that refers to cloth made from recycled material. It’s related to the Latin phrase “inutile utile ex arte,” which means, “that which is useless is made useful through art, or skill.” The quirkiness and the incidental “African-ness" of the word just seemed apt.

Stuart Holding