If you’re looking for shweshwe and other traditionally-inspired fabrics, you need to ensure that you’re getting the original, authentic material – and the only way to guarantee quality and performance is to look for our Three Cats Original Shweshwe backstamp.

The traditional manufacturing method for shweshwe was first introduced to South Africa in the early 1840s, and Da Gama still uses these methods to this day. These methods impart specific traits that our customers recognise, and it’s not uncommon to see people smell and feel shweshwe fabrics to ensure that they’re getting the real thing.

There are a few ways to identify counterfeit shweshwe. The first clue will be a lack of the distinctive smell that shweshwe-lovers know so well. At Da Gama, we use a strong starch to preserve the fabric, resulting in this unique, instantly-recognisable smell.

Another way to test for authenticity is to feel the fabric. The starch we use to preserve our Three Cats Original Shweshwe also gives the fabric a hard, firm handle that disappears after the first few washes. So if your ‘shweshwe’ feels too soft in the store, it’s probably a fake.

The most important way to check if you’re getting real, traditionally-manufactured shweshwe is to look out for our Three Cats Original Shweshwe backstamp. This is your mark of guaranteed quality, a representation of our commitment to deliver nothing but the highest quality shweshwe, made according to traditional methods.You can find our trademark at the back of the fabric ,clearly showing the 3 Cats logo.

Last but definitely not least, you can visit your nearest Da Gama Fabrics store. At our outlets across the country, we stock only the finest Shweshwe, manufactured in our Eastern Cape mill.

So when you’re shopping for shweshwe, make sure you get the real deal. Choose Da Gama’s Three Cats Original Shweshwe today