Local clothing brand is proof that dreams are possible
Nearly after two decades, the 37-year-old father of one is living his dream.
Established in 2021, Black Ink clothing brand, the brainchild of Mxolisi Kunene, is living proof that dreams delayed are not dreams denied. Nearly after two decades, the 37-year-old father of one is living his dream.
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Kunene who grew up between Zola and Mdeni described his business venture as a dream come true, something he yearned for since his early twenties.
It all started over 18 years ago when a young Kunene worked at a popular clothing store after high school which saw him develop an interest for fashion and clothing and he instantly knew that one day – owning his own brand was something he would go for, however life had its own plans.
“I have always been passionate about fashion and clothing but because of the changing environment, I went on to work as an auxiliary care giver at an NPO and that passion faded because of the nature of work I was doing,” he recalled.
But it was in 2013, when he joined the SANDF’s Intelligence department, where he currently works, that he was able to go back to his first love of clothing and picked up where he left off. There he began ordering and selling clothes to his former clientele.
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Kunene notes that while there is high competition and low barrier of entry amongst the clothing and local brands, he said his business was one that dared to be different.
He said he went for a clean atheistic, and shies away from using too many colours.
“When I was creating the brand, I looked at how to merge it into everyday life, it is a brand that can represent you with your office space, and it can double as a sports wear because I wanted to go for a timeless look.”
The business which currently operates at his Protea Glen home offers t-shirts, caps and bucket hats, track pants, and hoodies which he said he was looking to expand and introduce new offerings to reach a wider market.
“I wanted the brand to be a movement. A movement that encapsulates the black culture, hence the name.
“It is a movement for black people that remembers the trauma and suffering but also seeks to forge and curve out a new path where we are rewriting the story for black people,” he told Urban News.
