About
Cowgirlblues
Cowgirlblues is a Cape Town-based dye house and design studio specializing in South African wool and mohair.
“If you take any activity, any art, any discipline, any skill, take it and push it as far as it will go, push it beyond where it has ever been before, push it to the wildest edge of edges, then you will force it into the realm of magic.”
— Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
HISTORY OF COWGIRLBLUES
After an international career as a strategy consultant, founder Bridget Henderson returned to South Africa to live in Cape Town. While recovering from burnout she took up knitting and crafting again. Having no formal training or background in working with textiles she did a lot of experimenting with texture, patterns and colours. Getting frustrated at not being able to find suitable wool for a project locally, she decided to start spinning and dyeing her own, and so the idea for the Cowgirlblues business was born.
In 2013 she moved from her kitchen to a small space at Montebello Design Centre in Newlands, and continued to work from there after getting a retail space at the V&A Watershed in 2014. We moved to a “proper” production space in Woodstock in 2015 and gradually started growing the team. Then in 2017 we moved to our current much bigger studio in Maitland. We do all our dyeing at this studio factory, and also have a retail space where customers can visit to see the full production process and purchase our yarns. It buzzes on the first Saturday morning each month when our knitting and crochet community gets together for tea, coffee, cake and community.
THE COWGIRLBLUES TEAM
“We really like working at Cowgirlblues. For us it is great to work together in a team and support our families at the same time. Working at Cowgirlblues is different from other jobs, we are able to learn new things and by that investing in our capabilities. We get new experiences and that makes us feel more confident. Also, the team is very nice. Most of us have known each other for a long time and that feels familiar.” — Cowgirlblues Team
Our team is at the heart of the business, and many of them say that working here feels like being part of a family. We take that as a huge compliment. These women (and one man now) are proud to work at Cowgirlblues. They are a competent, capable group of strong people whom we hugely admire and respect. One of our ongoing priorities is to offer opportunities for continuous improvement. Each person is skilled in more than one aspect of the production process. Some techniques are specific to dyeing yarns. But by learning to use a sewing machine or a computer, everyone builds skills that could also be useful in a different work environment.
AT COWGIRLBLUES GREEN IS NOT JUST A COLOUR
It’s a way of living and being in the world, trying to be more conscious of the impact we have, and doing our best to tread lightly.
Being sustainable is important to us. Our commercial dyes come from reputable manufacturers compliant with European safety standards.
Water is used sparingly and repeatedly where possible. We reduce, re-use, and recycle wherever we can. And we collaborate and get creative to make the best use of the resources available to us.
Bridget
Charmaine
Cynthia
Makai
Mo
Noluvo
Noncedo
Peter
Phumeza
Syd
Tswanelo
