Naming Of Isishweshwe

Before it came to South Africa it was known as the German Print which was imported from Europe to meet the demand of the German settler women, hence the name German Print appeared. The fabric was then introduced to South Africa by the German settlers, where the name seshoeshoe appeared.

The name appears to have emerged in Lesotho by the early 20 centuries, associated both with the
name and deeds of Lesotho's founder, Moshoeshoe 1. seShoeshoe later become more widely known
throughout South Africa as Isishweshwe (an isiZulu phonetic variant)
(Leeb-du Toit 1995; Pheto-Moeti 2005).