Drip, a drop for a young African entrepreneur.
He was living his fairy tale; what a beautiful story it was! A black South African from the Guettho who created his own sneaker brand, "Drip.”.
He was so proud to share his story; from poverty to glory, who wouldn't be? The Lekau story is the dream of every young African entrepreneur: to rise to the top, make money, and mingle with celebrities (Casper Nyovest, Black Coffee, to name a few).
His sneaker brand had taken off to such an extent that within a few years, “Drip” has several stores under its belt in South Africa. Everything was beautiful and motivating for any young person from the "township." It was the "Rainbow Nation" in full view, a young black man without major degrees, from the township could do it. We were proud of it, as Drale sang, "From the bottom, we are here," and Fat Joe to say, "I’m on my way up.”
From a dazzling upward march to the announcement of the liquidation of "Drip"! This news came to us as a shock, and some say that it was predictable (the children of the guettho don't make it far); others say that he did not know how to manage his business well, and "the experts in business" talk about lack of mentorship, Lekau didn't have good advice. Well, all of them are doctors after death.
So, what caused the fall of "Drip," which must have been a source of national pride given Lekau's life story?
Let's get straight to the point. I won't be a jerk because we have to be pragmatic in our analysis. When a young black African entrepreneur fails, all of Africa has failed, as an African, that's my point of view. With 60% of its population being young, and the development of any African country that involves the creation of businesses, hence the promotion of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), we can in no way rejoice in the liquidation of the business of a young African, especially in the fashion industry where competition with international brands is perilous.
Lekau did it; with "Drip," he positioned his shoe brand on the local South African market. What a feat!
Should the South African state buyout “Drip” like Eskom? Or should Patrice Motsepe (the richest black South African) do it as Julius Malema suggests?
Everyone has their own solution, but in the end, what is essential is that "Drip" is a business, and for a business to sustain, you need sales to make profits, coupled with good business management; it is the implacable law of capitalism; if you do not sell, you will close your business regardless of the quality of your offer.
"Drip" must therefore pay its debts, and given that the company's coffers are empty, the South African justice system has decided to liquidate the company, so to speak, "Drip" sneakers don't sell as much! Hell, 80% of the population is black, but Nike, Adidas, Puma,... make huge profits in South Africa!
The young black man from the guettho can no longer sell his sneakers, or poor management of the company, we wonder. We retain the first reason given that the court decision to liquidate "Drip" in no way specified a case of mismanagement, but rather a lack of profitability; sales of "Drip" are low.
Why isn't "Drip" selling? Because very few people buy them. So if the South African state or Patrice Motsepe decide on a buyout, the sales problem will remain.
Let's get to the bottom of this, which must be fixed; doing so will establish jurisprudence for all South African SMEs in the clothing sector, and especially for young black entrepreneurs.
Far from us any racial connotations, but it is a general observation in the clothing industry on the South African market. Local brands are suffering, leading to the closure of several stores. South Africans prefer what comes from elsewhere, like everywhere in Africa, here is the main problem. This issue in South Africa is more concerning given the quality of the local offering, which is of international standard like overseas brands. So, how can we get South Africans to consume locally outside of music and football? With positioning and branding given the customers behaviour, but, is it going to solve the problem? David Tlale will surely tell us no, he who is South African, who is one of the best African designers, recognised internationally, but does he have a large local market? Even Pathé O, whose shirts Mandela loved, does his store in Sandton get overcrowded?
In Africa, we must consume "made in Africa" like our Chinese and European friends do.
The African has developed this snobbery, which is ridiculous, where an African minister is proud to post on social networks his clothes and his car from Western brands. If those who are supposed to set an example as models of success do so, what will happen to the average citizen?
In Africa, no one is shocked to see a Marxist politician wearing Louis Vuitton because everyone wants to wear it. Instead of carrying a Jekill & Hide bag (made in South Africa), our dear ladies opt for the Gucci bag. So what can Lekau do, whose brand has been labelled for those in the towship? And please don't be offended, dear African friends; even in the United States it's the same; FUBU (For Us By Us) does not sell like Nike and Adidas among black people.
The problem is therefore skin colour: it's black! This is why Steve Biko spoke about "Black Consciousness," which is more relevant than ever, because racial consciousness is inherent for other races/people and is in no way a call to hatred of other races nor what they produce, but a question of preference, because "well-ordered charity begins with oneself."
He was so proud to share his story; from poverty to glory, who wouldn't be? The Lekau story is the dream of every young African entrepreneur: to rise to the top, make money, and mingle with celebrities (Casper Nyovest, Black Coffee, to name a few).
His sneaker brand had taken off to such an extent that within a few years, “Drip” has several stores under its belt in South Africa. Everything was beautiful and motivating for any young person from the "township." It was the "Rainbow Nation" in full view, a young black man without major degrees, from the township could do it. We were proud of it, as Drale sang, "From the bottom, we are here," and Fat Joe to say, "I’m on my way up.”
From a dazzling upward march to the announcement of the liquidation of "Drip"! This news came to us as a shock, and some say that it was predictable (the children of the guettho don't make it far); others say that he did not know how to manage his business well, and "the experts in business" talk about lack of mentorship, Lekau didn't have good advice. Well, all of them are doctors after death.
So, what caused the fall of "Drip," which must have been a source of national pride given Lekau's life story?
Let's get straight to the point. I won't be a jerk because we have to be pragmatic in our analysis. When a young black African entrepreneur fails, all of Africa has failed, as an African, that's my point of view. With 60% of its population being young, and the development of any African country that involves the creation of businesses, hence the promotion of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), we can in no way rejoice in the liquidation of the business of a young African, especially in the fashion industry where competition with international brands is perilous.
Lekau did it; with "Drip," he positioned his shoe brand on the local South African market. What a feat!
Should the South African state buyout “Drip” like Eskom? Or should Patrice Motsepe (the richest black South African) do it as Julius Malema suggests?
Everyone has their own solution, but in the end, what is essential is that "Drip" is a business, and for a business to sustain, you need sales to make profits, coupled with good business management; it is the implacable law of capitalism; if you do not sell, you will close your business regardless of the quality of your offer.
"Drip" must therefore pay its debts, and given that the company's coffers are empty, the South African justice system has decided to liquidate the company, so to speak, "Drip" sneakers don't sell as much! Hell, 80% of the population is black, but Nike, Adidas, Puma,... make huge profits in South Africa!
The young black man from the guettho can no longer sell his sneakers, or poor management of the company, we wonder. We retain the first reason given that the court decision to liquidate "Drip" in no way specified a case of mismanagement, but rather a lack of profitability; sales of "Drip" are low.
Why isn't "Drip" selling? Because very few people buy them. So if the South African state or Patrice Motsepe decide on a buyout, the sales problem will remain.
Let's get to the bottom of this, which must be fixed; doing so will establish jurisprudence for all South African SMEs in the clothing sector, and especially for young black entrepreneurs.
Far from us any racial connotations, but it is a general observation in the clothing industry on the South African market. Local brands are suffering, leading to the closure of several stores. South Africans prefer what comes from elsewhere, like everywhere in Africa, here is the main problem. This issue in South Africa is more concerning given the quality of the local offering, which is of international standard like overseas brands. So, how can we get South Africans to consume locally outside of music and football? With positioning and branding given the customers behaviour, but, is it going to solve the problem? David Tlale will surely tell us no, he who is South African, who is one of the best African designers, recognised internationally, but does he have a large local market? Even Pathé O, whose shirts Mandela loved, does his store in Sandton get overcrowded?
In Africa, we must consume "made in Africa" like our Chinese and European friends do.
The African has developed this snobbery, which is ridiculous, where an African minister is proud to post on social networks his clothes and his car from Western brands. If those who are supposed to set an example as models of success do so, what will happen to the average citizen?
In Africa, no one is shocked to see a Marxist politician wearing Louis Vuitton because everyone wants to wear it. Instead of carrying a Jekill & Hide bag (made in South Africa), our dear ladies opt for the Gucci bag. So what can Lekau do, whose brand has been labelled for those in the towship? And please don't be offended, dear African friends; even in the United States it's the same; FUBU (For Us By Us) does not sell like Nike and Adidas among black people.
An African will find every excuse not to support and buy “made in Africa” of good quality but a product from overseas.
What can we do? The African likes what comes from elsewhere; what comes from outside is necessarily good; we therefore appreciate colonisation, and since then we have rejoiced in its benefits; then “Drip” enters into liquidation like a drop of water in the ocean
Marius Yusuf M. C. Oula
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