It all started with a drill...

VUSANI: THE WINNER WHO SWIMS WITH SHARKS

His Native Decor’s minimalistic designs fit with AmAfrikan online store.

In the very first episode of the SA version of Shark Tank – the show where budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of accomplished business tycoons – Vusani Ravele made a deep impression. So deep, in fact, that he became the first entrepreneur to land a lucrative investment into his company, Native Decor. The rest, as they say, is history. Native Decor is the brainchild of Vusani Ravele. He started this business as a part-time hobby from his living room in 2015 after receiving a cordless drill as a Valentine’s Day gift. He couldn’t stop making and drilling holes into things. Fast-forward to a year later and he found himself making history on SA’s Shark Tank.

Ravele became the first entrepreneur to benefit from a lucrative investment deal with his present day business partner, Gil Oved of The Creative Counsel.

He creates minimalistic, pristine and visually appealing designs for his Native Décor brand, which is all about hand finished home accessories. Innovation and functionality are at the heart of the products which are made using sustainable timber.

From wine holders, lighting, wall art to mirrors, the design is underpinned by images of a South African identity. This speaks to the ethos of what the AmAfrikan store is all about and the synergy between the AmAfrikan and Native Décor partnership.

AmAfrikan is a new online retail platform started by brothers Lerato and Tumisho Masha in response to Africa’s under-penetrated luxury market.

AmAfrikan provides African artists and entrepreneurs with a space to showcase their talents and products globally, as a home for selected African art and designer brands ranging from fashion, accessories, crafts to furniture and homeware.

The vision is to position African luxury as a global category in the luxury market place, starting within the continent itself, connecting African buyers and sellers and nurturing a borderless, fertile network.

The name of the business is its drive – a working philosophy that upholds the values of Ubuntu, Black Consciousness and heritage restoration, while also championing social cohesion and diversity. Its existence challenges perceptions of what constitutes African luxury.

This is in a bid to cultivate pride and ownership around local quality brands and help rid Africa of the inferiority complex that has allowed its treasures to be taken, repackaged and sold back to the continent by the international world.

“AmAfrikan has forged symbiotic relationships with ProudlySA and the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) that will help create a meaningful market access both locally and internationally for our partners,” says AmAfrikan founder Lerato Masha.

The AmAfrikan gallery features pertinent artists such as the internationally known Bianca Nguema; Olatunji Sanusi, who is engaging the local art community with his poignant paper collages; emerging young talent Lebohang Motaung, who brings a soulful connection between art and the ritual of hair plaiting; and Thulani Nhlapo whose images are the colour of life.

Brands include Shark Tank SA investment winner, Ravele, who produces chic hand-finished home accessories; FlyLikeAGirl, airline pilot Amanda Kandawire’s stylish phone accessories which are all about representation, identity and affirmation; Theo Baloyi’s Bathu, which tells a South African township story with its street credible designer sneakers; leading premium sock brand Skinny Sbu Socks; and sophisticated African inspired jewellery line, LuOme by Lusanda Omela.

“Africa is a soulful continent and our art is a window into our soul” co-founder, Tumisho Masha says.

Our purpose is to serve all African artists, innovators and designers by making their work available to the world while adding value to what they do.

“Amafrikan represents the best of our African heritage shared with the rest of the world.”