Aranda Textile Mills
Product Design in Randfontein

Aranda continues to offer the market the highest quality blankets and throws in innovative fashion and classic designs.
This combined with a commitment to ongoing product development has enabled us to secure our place in the competitive global market.
Aranda produces some of the finest furpile products in the world today, especially as a result of the creation of the new 'Touch Me' range of Blankets/Throws.

This is the story of how different cultures have been woven together to create the Aranda brand, making it a household name in Southern Africa. We have a proud history in developing and producing a variety of quality blankets, throws and shawls since Aiken, who was also the chairman of Barclays Bank South Africa, persuaded the Magni family to move to South Africa after the war to rebuild their future. This small mining town is situated due west of the city of Johannesburg. Dr Magni knew that if this industrial area was good enough for the French it would be good enough for his family. They started construction of the first Aranda factory buildings in The textile machinery arrived in large wooden crates and these crates were used to build the first offices. They toiled for 12-16 hours a day for two years before the first ever Aranda blankets were produced in From these humble beginnings the factory has expanded and grown into the business that it is today. From blankets and throws, to traditional shawls and blankets, the range is incredibly diverse. The Magni’s initially started by making woollen shawls as their expertise and Italian heritage as textile manufacturers lay in woollen fabrics. It was not long after the first shawls were made that Aranda started to manufacture traditional South African travelling rugs. Design possibilities had suddenly become endless and this heralded the beginning of the acrylic fur-pile bed and wearing blanket era. The factory, Associated Spinners, focused on the spinning and dyeing of open-end yarn and is still an integral part of the Aranda group today. Their long history and expertise in woollen spinning and weaving made them a natural fit to take over the legacy of producing such prestigious brands like the Seanamarena and Victoria England. More recently Aranda has acquired a chenille plant and is one of only two spinners of chenille yarn in South Africa. Aranda is today, the only genuine fully vertical, manufacturer of blankets and throws in South Africa. This means all products are created from raw fibre to finished goods ready to be merchandised. It began with the father of The Lesotho Kingdom, King Moshoeshoe I. What makes the Basotho blankets unique is the layout of the design, the various symbols used, the bold colour combinations and the characteristic pin-stripe. This stripe was originally a weaving fault which has become a unique part of the design and dictates how the blanket is worn. During a procession through the British protected Basutoland, Princess Elizabeth (now Queen of England) instructed the Royal photographer to take a photograph of a Basotho man on the side of the road wearing the famous Victoria England blanket, the Badges of the Brave. For many years thereafter it lay neglected and abandoned. Aranda’s story illustrates how the diversity of culture and heritage, combined with hard work and passion has created the unique range of products that are manufactured by Aranda today.