Carving a niche in fashion business

MASERU – AT a time when many people are complaining of bleak times, one man is acing it in the fashion business – defying the turbulent economic environment.
“For the aced” is the slogan of City Kings Clothing, a brand established by Matsai Molai and that is thriving despite the country going through troubled times.
Molai, from Khubetsoana on the northern outskirts of Maseru, established the City Kings Clothing brand in 2015.

City Kings Clothing brand targets the full range of clothing items from jackets to T-shirts, caps, shirts and other clothing except shoes.
Although Molai is a good tailor whose work is recognised internationally after participating in an international exhibition held in Botswana this year, he is working with other companies for printing work.

He explains that the slogan ‘for the aced’ was designed in such a way that it brings out the uniqueness and brilliance of the brand.
Molai says he chose the slogan after realising that most of the local brands’ names “are already known and obvious”.
“I wanted to come up with something which is unique,” he says.
Experts in the world of fashion and branding state that the importance of one’s brand identity cannot be understated.
Molai, who grew up an enthusiast of fashion and art, subscribes to such thinking.

He was not only passionate about art but he was also good at it.
His excellence in drawing created some good history for his school when he was a student.
He mentions one incident when his primary school won the second prize in Swaziland in art after coming out tops in Lesotho.

In class, his art work was so outstanding that teachers were always singing him praises, he says.
“That is where my business idea is rooted.”
Molai says he gained some of his skills during his days at Vaal University of Technology in Gauteng in 2011. Although he was studying marketing, Molai had a roommate who was doing Graphic Design.
“I would assist when he had some assignments, sometimes in cutting, sewing and other minor works,” he recalls.

Molai says after graduating and taking into account the high unemployment levels in Lesotho, he pondered on how he could change his life without being a job seeker.
“(I thought) why not start a branding company and spice it with sewing skills,” he says.

In 2015, he started branding clothing items such as T-shirts and caps before adding to the line his own tailored items such as jackets and track suits.
Molai says gender stereotypes were visible during his early months into the business as many people associated sewing with females. Some people would question his gender, says Molai.

“It was also challenging to take measurements on females,” he recalls.
He recalls one incident when he was taking measurements for one lady who was a rape victim but he was unaware of her state.
The lady broke down and cried leaving Molai startled. After a while, the lady explained her situation.
He says he dreamt of building a brand that would be recognised internationally as well as empower local entrepreneurs when he started the business.

Although economic growth is sluggish and adding pressure on many businesses, City Kings Clothing brand is thriving, he said.
“The response from customers is positive and this gives hope that very soon my dreams about City Kings Clothing brand will come true,” he says.
Molai says some people are surprised that the brand is local. In Botswana, people could not believe that the brand was from Lesotho until he showed them the cloth stamp of Lesotho.

“I never spend the whole month without customers and that gives me hope to push even harder,” he says, adding that this is a sign of the market responding “very well” to his products.
“We even joined with other local brand entrepreneurs to set up a website where people can order our products online,” he says.
Business has been booming since the establishment of the website, he says. He credits his marketing studies for his ability to woo customers.

However, he has his share of challenges, especially getting customers to pay up.
“These kinds of businesses are still growing and people tend to pay with deposits and this creates a huge list of bad debts in my books,” he says.
Others undermine local brands, choosing to worship foreign ones such ad Nike and Puma, an attitude that drags down local designers.

“They want to pay much less for our products because we are local, without recognising the quality we are bring in,” he says.
Nonetheless, Molai says he is doing so well that he has to work extra hours to satisfy demand.
“We have many customers so we have no time to rest,” he says.

Refiloe Mpobole