Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg on Using Textiles as a Tool for Social Change
For the next installment of the African Design Series, I had the privilege of chatting to Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg, designer and founder of the textile studio & collaborative platform, The Ninevites. Originally from Johannesburg, she now lives in Sweden and has a Masters Degree in Textiles Craft from Konstfack University Of Arts, Craft & Design in Stockholm.
On living in Sweden, Nkuli said in an interview with CEC Magazine: “I’m super grateful that I can be in this space where my craft is supported. I am also very grateful that I am in a place where I feel safe as a woman; where I can move around freely. But, there is no country that is as cool as South Africa. There is honestly no place like South Africa. It’s wild.”
Nkuli works with craftspeople in Africa, Peru and Europe who meticulously craft all The Ninevites products from 100% natural fibers. In South Africa, she works closely with Karoo Looms, a collective of female weavers who make her rugs by hand using local mohair wool. She is passionate about empowering women and using textiles as a tool for social change.
WHERE ARE YOUR ROOTS? I was born and raised in the west of Johannesburg in a township called Kagiso. My cousins and I lived at my grandmother’s house, which also served as a shebeen and a space for gathering in the community. Growing up we listened to a lot of music and there was a lot of organising against the apartheid system, so from an early age I was aware of the social challenges that Black people were faced with. But at the same time it was a very vibrant and colorful place—people were very stylish and cool.
TELL US ABOUT WHERE YOU CURRENTLY LIVE? I'm now based in Stockholm. It's very different from home, a bit lonely at times if you are used to having a big community and people around you all the time. I have access to a lot of nature, something we didn't have in the township so it's a totally different landscape.
DESCRIBE WHAT YOU MAKE AND WHAT YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT. I am passionate about Black culture and I use my platform, The Ninevites, to create craft and design objects in collaboration with artisans in South Africa, Peru & Europe and to connect people and ideas.
HOW DOES PLACE INFORM WHAT YOU DO? I think back home in South Africa my ideas were mostly influenced by the social landscape. A big part of why I started The Ninevites and working in the way I do was to create opportunities for artisans, cultural preservation and a space where I could celebrate Black culture using textiles as a tool. When I moved to Sweden it was a completely different environment—I have access to more resources and I try to tap into that to further grow my platform and continue to create opportunities back home.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON AFRICAN DESIGN? It's exciting, bold and experimental. I love how people are always innovating and finding their own voice in the design space, tapping into the local for inspiration and putting it on a global platform.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PART OF YOUR PROCESS? It's my favourite and my worst: choosing colors for yarns when working on a new collection. And I guess the dreaming phase before I get hit by the reality of what is possible or not.
TELL US ABOUT A LOCAL UNSUNG HERO. My grandmother. She was a very inspiring woman who came from nothing and built a business, a home for us during the olden days of apartheid when it was incredibly difficult for people like her. That set a good foundation for the rest of the family.
WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT FOR THE FUTURE? I'm excited about how The Ninevites is slowly and steadily becoming what I had always envisioned as a multifaceted platform that pushes craft and design. Not just in product form but also creating opportunities for young people, connecting brands and playing a big role within the craft and design space.
