Frances VH

We Are Legacy has collaborated with FRANCES V.H Mohair—marking the first public integration of We Are Legacy’s digital identity tags within Frances van Hasselt’s new collection, “Are We There Yet.”

Through this integration, the stories of process, design, and the hands behind each piece are embedded directly into the work itself. Authorship and provenance no longer sit outside the object—they are woven into its identity, value, and legacy.

This moment introduces a new layer of value to handmade work—one that honours the integrity of its making while ensuring that what it carries cannot be lost over time.

“Are We There Yet” is shaped in close collaboration with a team of women artisans. Each piece emerges from a land-led process, where fibre, environment, and human touch determine form. Mohair—one of the world’s most ancient and rare fibres—carries the imprint of its origin.

Drawing on time trappings, fossils, and forms carved into the antiquity of the Karoo, the collection reflects the connection to deep history and the natural systems that shape existence.

Frances V.H Mohair is rooted in community and the ecosystems of the Karoo. Mohair, an ancient fibre endemic to this region, is largely exported in its raw form, with little local transformation or storytelling. Her practice seeks to change this, developing a local textile language and economy grounded in place.

In the studio, the full lifecycle of the fibre is embraced. Mohair begins with the Angora goat, raised in the dry, open landscapes of the Karoo and carefully tended by farmers and herdsmen. The goats are sheared twice a year, producing lustrous fibres that are cleaned, spun, and dyed before being woven, knitted, or embroidered.

From land to fibre to fabric, each step is part of a continuous narrative—one that reflects the landscape, language, and lived experience of the Karoo, bringing visibility to stories that are often overlooked.

FRANCES V.H Mohair is a women-led textile studio based in South Africa’s Great Karoo. Frances van Hasselt, the founder,  is a designer and entrepreneur who collaborates with a team of women artisans who weave stories about the origins of their textiles, whilst simultaneously allowing the natural environment to inform every aspect of their design and making process.

Working purely with mohair, FRANCES V.H Mohair is one of the only textile studios developing a variety of products informed by the full life cycle of Angora goats and the environment to create work that allows for the raw material to define the final piece.

Frances V.H’s practice lifts a “farm to fabric” philosophy, where textiles emerge from a circular relationship between land, animals, and people. Working with primarily locally sourced mohair from the Karoo, the studio prioritises hand processes, low-impact production, and the preservation of natural fibre integrity. By producing locally and collaborating with women artisans, the work supports a regenerative textile ecosystem—one that values craft, community, and inclusivity alongside environmental responsibility.

We Are Legacy, founded in Stockholm in 2024, is a digital platform that is redefining how handmade products are understood- using verified digital tags that connect products to makers, materials, and stories. Through a simple tap or scan, each product reveals key information about its origin, production context, and the people behind it.

This is not about digitising craft.

It is about ensuring its legacy - by restoring value to the people whose hands create it.