- Tshepo Jeans launched its first flagship store in Johannesburg's up-market Hyde Park Corner mall this week.
- Founder Tshepo Mohlala is also looking at the Diamond Walk in Sandton City, and the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, as outlet locations.
- He started off making jeans on the outskirts of the Johannesburg CBD.
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Tailored jeans maker Tshepo Mohlala has opened a flagship store in Hyde Park Corner, one of Johannesburg’s top shopping malls known for housing luxury brands.
In 2018 Mohlala was caught in a Twitter storm about the price of his jeans: R950
Mohlala set up Tshepo Jeans five years ago in Lorentzville’s Victoria Yards, on the eastern edge of the Johannesburg CBD, using a loan of R8,000.
Apart from Victoria Yards, Thsepo Jeans can also be found in Cape Town’s Cavendish Square, in an omni-channel retail store called EGG which also houses 250 other local and international brands.
Mohlala said the initial offer was for Tshepo Jeans to occupy a Hyde Park slot for only two months, but the cost of setting up shop saw him commit to a longer lease instead.
The 125m2 store has a spacious feel to it, with shopping rails and shelves on the walls only, and lighting that emphasises features such as a wall mural of cotton fields.
Mohlala says the cotton fields represent the cotton used in the production process of the clothing, as well as the country from which Tshepo Jeans sources its cotton: Zimbabwe.
The store has some personal touches, including three giant pairs of legs positioned in different parts of the store. These represent Mohlala’s grandmother, mother and aunt.
“The store is a nod to our crown [the Tshepo Jeans logo] which is inspired by my mum, aunt and my granny. Hence you see those three pillars in the shop; those giant legs. It’s a coronation, a crowning moment. They used to pray for me,” he says.
It also has a wall with a world map showing how Tshepo Jeans is connected to the likes of Japan, where the fabric is made.
Mohlala’s is now looking at joining the list of tenants in Sandton City’s Diamond Walk, home to global luxury brands; and the famous V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
