Our Story
The 'Why' Behind Our Craft
At Sett & Beat, we believe in creating with consciousness, not convenience. In a world oversaturated by mass production and throwaway culture, we choose a different path: one grounded in care, craft, and connection. Our mission is to honour the origin of every fibre, the integrity of every process, and the legacy of meaningful design.
We do what we do to restore value to the handmade, to celebrate time-honoured skills, and to foster a deeper connection between people, products, and the planet. Everything we make is intended to be kept, cherished, and passed down – a quiet rebellion against the culture of the disposable. We exist to prove that beauty, purpose, and sustainability can be woven into every piece.
Our Origins
Our story begins on a sheep farm in the Victoria West district, in the Groot Karoo – part of the Northern Cape province in South Africa, where generations before us lived close to the land and its rhythms. Sandi, co-founder of Sett & Beat, grew up surrounded by wool, learning the intricacies of fleece sorting and shearing from her parents. Her grandmother Jessie, a knitter, passed down her love for making things by hand. These moments stitched together a legacy that lives on in every thread we produce.
Through decades of dedication to spinning, weaving, and handcrafting, Sandi’s passion for textiles evolved into a way of life. Her daughter, Camila, inherited that spirit and has gone on to shape Sett & Beat’s contemporary identity – bringing together experience in sustainable fashion, global design, and local production. Together, their story is one of continuity and transformation – a mother and daughter bound by creativity, purpose and craft
Sett & Beat Today
Sett & Beat is more than a design studio – it’s a part of the slow craft movement. We are a conscious product development & design studio, crafting textiles and products that honour both material and maker. From fibre to final form, our work is intentional, rooted in storytelling, and made to endure.
Today, we collaborate with individuals, designers, and global brands to create bespoke textiles and finished pieces that blend heritage with innovation. Each project is guided by our commitment to natural fibres, small-batch production, and high design and quality standards. Our team of artisans brings skill, soul, and sensitivity to everything we create.
Whether it’s a woven scarf, made-to-order fabric, or a collaborative development process, Sett & Beat represents a future where design is personal, ethical, and deeply human.
Sandi
“I was raised among sheep and spinning wheels, between shearing sheds and skeins of wool. My early years on a farm in Victoria West taught me the value of hard work and the quiet satisfaction of making something with your hands. From fleece sorting with my mother to knitting with my grandmother, textiles have always been a part of my life.
Weaving found me later, after raising a family and starting a landscaping business with my husband, Donovan. He supported my passion in every possible way – building and modifying looms, engineering tools, and encouraging each step of the journey. Through years of evening weaves, dusty studios, and handmade equipment, I rediscovered the joy of creating cloth.
Though Donovan is no longer with us, his love, encouragement, and craftsmanship remain deeply woven into the fabric of Sett & Beat. His legacy continues to guide and ground me.
Sett & Beat is the result of a life spent in love with fibre, texture, and the process. It’s my way of honouring where I come from and weaving it into where we are going next.”
Camila
“Creativity and consciousness were the foundations of my upbringing. From an early age, I was surrounded by nature, creativity and conversations about living with purpose. I studied fashion design, trained in London’s luxury fashion industry and eventually turned my focus to sustainability, determined to change how we make and consume textiles.
My journey has taken me from backstrap weaving in Guatemala to managing global high-end production in London, to exploring the full depth of South Africa’s fibre and craft industries. At every turn, I’ve seen how design can either deplete or enrich the world around us. I’ve chosen the latter.
Sett & Beat is where my personal values and professional passions converge. With my mom by my side and a dedicated team around us, I’m proud to co-lead a studio that stands for transparency, ethics and exceptional craft. We’re here to build something beautiful, enduring, and aligned with the future we want to see – where design not only looks good, but does good.”
The Hands Behind the Thread
At the heart of Sett & Beat is a small, dedicated team of craftspeople who bring not only skill, but soul to every creation. Ntombi’s mastery of beading, Portpher’s quiet strength and steady hand, and Miness’ growing joy in the rhythm of spinning – together with Camila and Sandi, form a collective bound by care, creativity, and shared purpose. Each of them brings something irreplaceable to the craft, and to the spirit of Sett & Beat.
We’re small by design, with a big heart for collaboration. We believe that excellence is born from care, and every member of our team brings their own story to the loom.
Our Roots
Our roots run deep in the Karoo soil, where generations of farming, fibre, and family shaped our values. The Karoo is a vast, semi-arid region in the heart of South Africa, known for its stark beauty, open skies, and resilient landscapes. It’s a place of raw texture and quiet stillness – a setting that continues to inspire our work today.
What began on a sheep farm in Victoria West has grown into a design studio that celebrates the spirit of handmade, slow-crafted work.
Family Legacy
Today we are based in the Western Cape, where we draw from the landscape’s natural rhythm and character to inform our designs. This connection to setting grounds us, reminding us of where we come from and what matters most: quality, care and a reverence for the natural world.
Sett & Beat is rooted in legacy but always looking forward. We design with our hands, think with our hearts, and move with intention, creating pieces that are as meaningful as they are beautiful.
Get To Know Us
We are a multigenerational team of thinkers, makers and dreamers who care deeply about what we create and how we create it. From Sandi’s home studio to Camila’s vision of a sustainable future, Sett & Beat is shaped by lived experiences, shared values, and a belief in the beauty of process.
