FROM author to social media app creator, and now a luxury bag designer, Eastern Cape-born entrepreneur Hlumelo Nyaluza is establishing himself as a formidable force in the world of entrepreneurship.
Now based in Soweto, Nyaluza says his life’s purpose is to help others achieve their dreams through his imagination. Among his achievements, he has written a book in reverse and developed a social media app HN Citipages, which trended as the number one app on the Google Play Store and received an endorsement from the South African Department of Communications.
He said the start of his entrepreneurial journey was because of his love for fashion. After losing his mother to cancer at the age of 13, he would take some of her clothes, cut them apart, and sew them back together. This creative outlet eventually inspired him to design T-shirts, which marked the birth of his HN brand.
“After my mom passed away from cancer when I was 13 I used to take some of her clothes, cut them and sew them back together. I loved fashion. In 2011 I released t-shirts amongst my peers to introduce my HN brand but I stopped and ventured into other things like a book that's read backwards.”
Nyaluza shared that after taking a break for several years, he was inspired to design a luxury bag that stood out from others while also empowering and supporting struggling artists.
“I was given the bag concept by the higher power to empower three types of struggling African artisans - wood craftsmen, fine artists and leather craftsmen. I also want the bag to give more life to more HN ventures that will give life to Africa and Africans like the social media app,” he said.
Nyaluza described his bag as a unique and innovative addition to the market. Measuring 20cm x 20cm x 20cm, the design features a light wooden box covered in leather with a floating cross inside, creating the illusion of a disappearing hand when carried. The bag includes two magnetic purses and showcases exclusive artwork by renowned artist Tumisang Khalipha. Another version of the bag is a cross-compartment trunk bag adorned with a Xhosa-inspired monogram.
He added that he recently registered the bag's design, securing exclusive rights to the concept for the next 15 years.
“I've registered the designs and just yesterday I got an email from my lawyers saying that the concept is officially registered under me and no one can copy it for the next 15 years. The bags also have art gallery quality fine art featured in it, covered in a glass-like hard plastic making people have the experience viewing art the same way they do in a gallery but in a bag,” said Nyaluza.
Nyaluza stated that he is running a campaign to raise R200,000 to launch the bag in both United States and Africa.
“I have raised R300k so far for the entire project, e-commerce website creation, protecting the ideas, photo shoots, making the 23+ samples and all which has evaluated the project at around R2 million in less than eight months. Now I am campaigning to raise R200k to release it properly in the United States and Africa,” he added.
Nyaluza explained that he chose to launch the bag in America because it has the second-largest luxury consumer market in the world. '30% of luxury items globally are purchased by Americans, with China leading at 50%. Additionally, America is the top country when it comes to setting trends and influencing global fashion. If I introduce the bag there and it gains acceptance, it will pave the way for global popularity.’
Watch video here: https://rumble.com/v6bqoja-eastern-cape-entrepreneur-launches-innovative-luxury-bag-line-with-african-.html
The Star