About Spases
I haven’t done one of these in a while! I’m Germaine and Spases has been my baby since 2019. Crazy to think that’s 5 years ago!
I started the store out of a personal need. A few years prior I had come across Mud Cloth fabric and really fell in love with it. At the time I didn’t know the history or its origins. I did however start looking for pillows of my own and was about to order them (from an Etsy store at an exorbitant price). After doing some wash care research I realized this textile is from West Africa. My immediate thought was surely, surely I can find an AFRICAN textile in the continent of Africa? In fact, surely this textile is available in South Africa? It was at that point that I decided there’s absolutely no way I am ordering a cloth from our continent via the US! It was crazy to me that this textile was so hard to find locally, especially in end product form.
After having this conversation with my sister, it really dawned on me on how these textiles are not celebrated enough. How we as South Africans are always looking towards the West for inspiration and trends. Tracking down these textiles was also not easy, which also baffled me as I thought it should be easily accessible, especially in Africa. Ultimately the thought of starting a store came once I received the cloth and immediately wanted to share it!
At its core, Spases exists because we’ve identified how inaccessible many African textiles are to the ordinary consumer. How little we know about our continent when it comes to design, and because of it, how we place more value on the Western world when it comes to design choices. Our values are still the same today: Having optimism about Africa. Open to learn about new textiles from our continent, making considered purchases for the home, looking at factors like sustainability, supporting the local economy. We want you to know that when you place an order with us, you are supporting our continent, you value that good design takes time and that your handmade items tell a story in your home. We hope you love it here! Shop the store here!
