About Us
How we got our name
"Mjita" is South African slang that loosely translates as "a streetwise guy". Whenever founder Brett Sher travelled to out-of-the way hotspots, his staff jokingly referred to him as "Mjita".
Mjita Trading Company started when Brett Sher visited remote parts of South Africa in the 80's in his pick-up truck, collecting African art and Artifacts for collectors, museums and galleries.
Over time, art and artifacts became materials, and then cushions, bags and other goods. The scope of regions evolved to cover larger parts of Africa – and eventually the workshop of highly skilled artisans and specialized craftspeople was created.
Mjita Trading Company is a family run business; Brett handles the creative workshop as well as sales, his wife Tamiko assists with both marketing and product development, and thankfully his father, Ray Sher assists with administration. The company has up to eight full-time employees, and works with many other small independent businesses in the manufacture of specialized items.
We currently source our fabrics from many regions of Africa; including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Senegal, and Burkina Fasso. Our focus is on working with Handmade, Traditional African and African Inspired fabrics. We export worldwide and are known for our attention to detail and high standards of quality, and as such have attracted the most respected high-end boutique retailers.
We have the production capability to supply large retail chain stores, wholesalers, hotels, safari lodges, and restaurants as well as private individuals with everything from unique bespoke pieces to exclusive lines. From the Simple to the extraordinary-we invite you to come and create something unique with us!