Young entrepreneur from Berea on a mission to inspire self-belief in young people

A 22-year-old entrepreneur, musician and director of HueManity clothing brand, Gift Soko who reside in Berea, Johannesburg, is on a mission to change a status quo about South African youth in business.Soko, who was raised by his late single mother Smangele Mongwe, said his love for art and business gave birth to his clothing brand HueManity in 2016.

He said growing up in the inner city where people make a living out of anything helped him develop an entrepreneurial mindset.

“I came to Joburg to live with my mother when I was very young. I spent my early childhood in a small town called Ingwavuma in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal before relocating to the city for educational purposes.

“I’ve always wanted to be part of those who bring solutions to problems faced by our society. In a country where youth unemployment is above 50 per cent, young people are always encouraged to consider entrepreneurship in order to create jobs for themselves and others.

“For me, it was the love for art that triggered an idea to start my brand. The company makes and brands products like caps, T-shirts, hoodies and tracksuits inspired by hip-hop culture.”

He added that their mission as a brand was to inspire young people to believe in themselves and have faith in all that they do. “Our vision is to inspire young people and push them to become whatever they want to be.

As a brand, our mission is to become a worldwide leading brand that sets the standard in all its streams and make people feel part of it.

“Most of our customers are young people affiliated to hip-hop culture. We have seen a high demand for our products in areas like Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town. We have artists like Emtee and African Trap Movement (ATM) to mention the few.”

Details: Gift Soko 063 983 0251; sokogift@gmail.com; @huemaity_sa