From Ivory Park, a small township in the east of Joburg, Lekau Sehoana went from having no shoes to owning one of the biggest sneaker brands in South Africa.
Lekau Sehoana is an ekasi rags-to-riches story. His journey wasn't easy but, in a year, he's reached a remarkable milestone.
From Ivory Park, a small township in the east of Joburg, he went from having no shoes to owning one of the biggest sneaker brands in South Africa.
The founder of Drip Footwear, a brand he launched in 2019, celebrated his success in style and hopes his life story will inspire other young people to follow suit.
Opening up about his poor living conditions, he said: “In 2003, the only thing we had was a shack in an informal settlement in Ivory Park, that poured during rainy days. I didn’t have shoes to wear, so I created my shoe using torn sneakers.”
Seventeen years later, he’s moved several steps in the right direction as he is now an entrepreneur, employing at least 12 people.
“A year ago, I sold the very first pair of Drip. 12 months later we have grossed over R14-million. From 26 pairs then, to 600 pairs and now we are on 50 000 pairs. Your dreams are valid,” he added.
Today, he is one of the most celebrated local brands and he has the solid support of many celebrities. Some of his biggest clients include DJ Shimza, and Skeem Saam's Clement Maosa, who is also the ambassador of Drip Footwear.
Sehoana joins the likes of Theo Baloyi, a young man from Alexandria who founded the popular sneaker brand, Bathu.
Baloyi, whose brand ambassador is Khanyi Mbau, opened his first warehouse in Centurion this year where he employs over 100 people. He was also featured in Forbes Africa Under 30 list in 2019.