THE MEELBROEK STORY

Meelbroeke has many stories, from different timeframes and different countries, to different people and now also different prints and more styles.

In short, many years ago, during the depression from 1929 to around 1933, there was great poverty all over the world.  In many countries, mothers had to use their innovative skills to feed and dress their families.  Not only in South Africa, but also in Australia and the USA.  Flour sacks were washed and bleached, washed and bleached to whiten it and when it was ready at last, it was soft and white.

Many stories are told at the festivals we travel to, about grandparents who used to wear these clothes, how poor they were and how hard it was to survive.  Of all these stories, one stood out.  There was a young man that stopped at our stall at Innibos one year and told us that his great-grandmother was to get married.  And since there was no fabric to be found, they used these old flour sacks, whitened it, and made a dress.  This dress is still in the family.   I did not get a contact number or name, so if you read this, please contact me, I would love to have a photo of the dress!

In the US, flour manufacturers saw the need for fabric, and started to print flour sacks with pretty designs, even patterns to make teddy bears from!  How innovative!  Read more here

Back to our own Flour Bag Pants, affectionately known as Meelbroeke, which now, incidentally, also include dresses and other items, but the name sticks!

The first Bokomo pants were made from the real Flour Bags, and if you bought one around 30 years ago, you might still have the original Meelbroek!  Nowadays the fabric is printed as there are no more bags like they used in the olden days and plastic and poly propylene is now used to make the bags.  The same fabric is still used, although a little stronger than that of the flour bags.

These garments might be a little stiff when you buy them, mostly due to the colouring process, but after a wash or two, they become soft and before long, you will want to wear nothing else!

Now you can order them here, we have added all the colours and even a chart with sizes to make it easier.

Meelbroeke strive to bring you what YOU want, be it more colours or styles.  Please be sure to also join the Facebook Page and become an Instagram follower to know what we are up to.  You can also post photos and videos, we love to see where our Meelbroeke travels!

If you have one, you will want more.  And if you don’t, TAKE THE LEAP!