Poetry’s evolution from Cape Union Mart
Famous royal client launches Tshepo’s denim range into orbit
● Since Meghan Markle went to collect her new pair of jeans from Tshepo the Jean Maker in Victoria Yards in Johannesburg this week, he’s been receiving calls from around the world from would-be collaborators.
Tshepo Mohlala, 28, has been making jeans since 2013, having been inspired by his aunt, Takalani Murudi, in the early 2000s. She was one of the first people in the neighbourhood to go to university “and bring home fashion you’d seen on TV”. She went on to become an accountant, and Mohlala caught the fashion bug.
“She was kind of a trendsetter in our family and that influenced me to be a trendsetter among my peers,” Mohlala says.
He dropped out in his first year of studies because of financial difficulties, but wanted to learn how to make jeans. He met people on the street — “designers, CMTs who gave me opportunities to learn. There was a dude at varsity that was good at jeans. He passed on how to make a good five-pocket pair of jeans.”
(CMT is clothing industry jargon for cut, make and trim.)
It was about doing the basics, and doing them right. Mohlala made sure he could create a perfect size 30, 32, 34 and 36.
“There’s still a lot more we are learning in the process with new technology and new textiles.”
For the past few months Mohlala has been in discussion with an innovative school in Amsterdam called Denim City that is developing a course on how to make jeans. Denim City is coming to SA later this month to teach local businesses how to upgrade their skills, their quality “and take it to the next level”.
“As a guy who’s raw, who’s been doing it on the street, one of the most important investments a company can do is up-skilling.”
Mohlala says his company, which employs 13 people, is breaking even. Investors in the company are friends.
“We found people who believe in the brand and product and vision who are funding the business and all the crazy things I’m thinking about. It’s a very expensive exercise.”
How did the duchess find out about the brand?
“Meghan Markle’s people came here and when they went back to the UK they said they need to go see Tshepo, and a few days later I get a call from the British [high commission] … it felt like a prank.”
There was not enough time to make the jeans and deliver them to Markle before she and Prince Harry left for their visit to SA, but the high commission called Mohlala again and said the duchess would like to visit him at Victoria Yards. Tshepo the Jean Maker also created a pair of dungarees for her son Archie as a gift.
“That was the cherry on the top for her. When she saw the dungarees she was literally running,” Mohlala says.
“I saw how she left her crown at the door and became a real person. She was so real to us; we had a nice conversation with her … It was a cherry on the top to see a mother’s love.”
Requests have already come in to make more kids’ dungarees.
“I’m not sure if we can call them ‘Archie jeans’ but it’s a very nice experience for us and it was unexpected. It’s a surreal moment and something I will forever cherish,” says Mohlala.
“It’s opened up the industry for us and positioned us as a leading brand in SA.”
The range starts from R1,650 for off-thepeg, and custom-made ranges from R2,500 to R7,000. A top-of-the-line pair is made with denim woven in Japan using cotton from Zimbabwe. Japanese denim is highly regarded among enthusiasts.
Other celebrities who have bought jeans from Mohlala include Cassper Nyovest, comedian Donovan Goliath and TV presenter and radio personality Bonang Matheba. What are his plans now?
“World domination,” says Mohlala. It’s about growing the brand, and being visible in the South African market. Getting more pop-up stores in malls and taking the jeans to the world.
“We’ve been getting a whole lot of calls from the UK and US this week and retailers have approached us from the UK and the US to partner with us. There’s a huge market for us globally.”
Tshepo the Jean Maker has done brand collaborations with Nando’s, MercedesBenz, Jameson whiskey and Nederburg.
“The core product is denim. However, we have taken steps to expand to include complementary products such as T-shirts, and are looking at belts, keyrings, tote bags, skirts and dresses.
“We will launch when the time is right. We’re not in a rush. I’m not in a 100m race, we’re in a marathon; we’re playing a long game. For me it’s my life project. It has to sustain me for the next 30, 40 years and be passed on. I’m looking at something that can be sustainable and stay relevant.
“I’ve seen over the past few months a whole lot of people gravitating back into slow fashion; there’s a huge hunger for [it]. That’s where we will be positioned.”
When she saw the dungarees she was literally running Tshepo Mohlala
Founder of Tshepo the Jean Maker