Entrepreneur breaking into fashion market

He is the founder of the clothing brand One Day Sopopa, township slang for “one day you will succeed”.

He says that the brand was formed in 2010 while he was operating a programme called Youth Connection.

“Among other life skills programmes we offered the unemployed youth, we also introduced the youth to the printing and fashion design industry.

“This was to empower them to start their own businesses and become leaders,” he says.

Read: Fashion designer hopes to make an impact

He says that while working on the programme he came up with the idea of starting his own brand.

“I decided on the name because it is a popular township slang aimed at motivating others not to give up on their hustle and to keep pushing until they succeed,” he says.

Jongwe says that working on his own brand has improved his business and marketing skills.

“I stay awake at night trying to come up with new ideas to improve my business.

“It was not easy in the beginning, trying to introduce the brand to the market.

“I started by targeting the youth in my township, who responded positively to it,” he says.

He says that it has not always been smooth sailing.

Read: ‘Fashion is my life’

“When I introduced the brand, I had to compete with other reputable brands which had been in the market for years.

“But I could not allow this to stop me from achieving my goal.

“I am a born ‘hustlerpreneur’. I worked hard to make sure that the business grows.

“I had to make sure that the qualities of the clothes satisfied the clients,” he says.

He says that he lives for the success of his brand.

“I want to make my brand accessible to all and not limit myself by only targeting clients in the province but across the country and want to eventually break into the African market,” he says.

Jongwe’s fashionable brand can be seen on T-shirts, caps, golf tops, sweat pants and jackets.