What was your vision for Coral & Hive when you first started?

“I started Coral & Hive in 2016 when I was a new mom with a busy mind. I was living in London at the time, feeling wistful for my home country of South Africa. In particular, my creative mind was wandering over thoughts of African artisans, and how I could bring a piece of their magic to the UK. I came up with the name Coral & Hive - The Natural Home, and contemplated bringing over a variety of handmade homeware items made in South Africa. I started by looking into handwoven rugs, as I had memories of being spellbound by women weavers when I was a young girl. I soon realised that the world of handwoven rugs was deep and beautiful, and I decided to focus solely on rugs. I immersed myself in learning about natural fibres and weaving techniques and I started visiting interior designers all over London, building relationships and sourcing handwoven rugs from South Africa for them.

What were the main challenges you faced?

The first year was a time of research, trial and error. The supplier journey was full of highs and challenging lows, but when an opportunity arose to buy and own the operations of a South African loom which was closing, we cautiously took the leap. We employed the team of weavers and started weaving our own rugs under the Coral & Hive brand. It was a daunting responsibility and at this point I realised I really had to give it my all. Our head weaver, Nazeema was one of these original ladies, and with over 30 years’ experience in weaving she was an absolute gem who has trained all subsequent weavers to a very high standard.

From there we grew slowly but surely. I hired some key women to manage the operations and creative pattern design elements in South Africa, while I built client relationships in London. We also partnered with a family-owned loom in India, which expanded the rug and fibre options wonderfully.

Current ongoing challenges include having a regular supply of fibres to meet the demand, as we are committed to sustainably sourcing small batches of natural fibre.

Having a niche, custom, made-to-order offering has its challenges, from managing cash flow to training staff and persevering with experimentation in weave styles and fibres to pursue our vision of unique handwoven rugs.

How do you select your weavers and what makes them special?

Our weavers are like an extended family. We originally employed ladies that had previously worked for a weaving company that had closed down. The most skilful weavers have become our master weavers, training up new weavers who join our humming hive. Our head weaver runs weaving workshops in her community on the weekends. Often new weavers are brought into the fold as friends and family of the current weavers, making this a business that truly supports local families. We are very proud to have a hand in keeping the Xhosa tradition of weaving alive amongst our weaving women.

How do you source the materials you use for the rugs?

Over the last six years we’ve worked hard to research, find and build relationships with trusted suppliers who provide the best quality fibres, responsibly and sustainably produced.

What are the key things that make your business unique?

We love to link the weavers with our clients, sharing pictures and videos of the making process - linking the weaver to the designer just fosters a wonderful appreciation for the product, and a sense of pride in the weaving artisan.

The fibre combinations used in our African rugs are a stunning, unique combination that are not seen elsewhere in the world.

What are you most proud of as a business?

We’ve worked with internationally celebrated interior designers to create exceptional products that we are so proud of. We’ve added wonderfully talented people to our team along the way, and we’ve honed our design skills, weaving skills, our fibre blends and colour work to a point where I can bravely say that we are offering something completely unique and utterly beautiful. It’s a showcase of sustainably sourced, gorgeous natural fibres and exceptional weaving talent combined with thoughtful design.

The fact that we are a women-led team, full to the brim of creative women supporting their families and preserving a beautiful skill for generations to come is something we are so proud of.

What are the next steps for Coral and Hive?

The ideas are endless!

For 2023 we are focussing on creative collaborations with designers we admire.