Mojalefa Motaung, North-West University's (NWU's) outgoing Vanderbijlpark Student Campus Council (SCC) president and Student Representative Council (SRC) deputy president, has his sights set on making his mark in the business world. The 22-year-old owns Roar Clothing, a thriving clothing line.
The line has a number of items in its collection, including trendy golf shirts, T-shirts, hoodies, fashionable caps and tracksuits. Roar Clothing draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, including street styles, photography and active sportswear. It caters primarily to university students and is progressively gaining a following in Vanderbijlpark and surrounding areas.
The final-year BA education student, who is originally from Qwaqwa in the Free State, says the brand was inspired by his love of photography.
“I’ve loved photography from a very young age. I wanted to pursue it as a career, but my family discouraged me. When I started varsity, I launched a photographic media company called MJ Media House. I was a house committee member, and I bought myself a good-quality camera with the money I earned. I then started my business by attending gigs on weekends and capturing the events for my social media pages," he says.
Mojalefa adds that, because he could not afford to buy different outfits to wear at parties on weekends, he decided to buy plain t-shirts and brand them with his company logo.
"My logo had this powerful, captivating presence. People used to go crazy over my t-shirts and wanted to buy them, and that is how my business started," he says.
He says his brand’s lion logo represents his desire to dominate the industry and create a universal brand.
The brand cultivated an impressive following in a short period of time, and Mojalefa then expanded by adding golf shirts, jackets and hoodies. He has since built a cult following of loyal supporters.
He says social media has played a huge role in his business. "It's been a journey of surprise and learning. Social media has played a big role in the growth of my label. I use it for advertising, taking orders and communicating with my clients," he explains. Mojalefa also hosts monthly pop-up stores at campus events, parties, and different malls.
After finishing his studies, he plans to develop his business – Including a large photographic studio – into an empire. "I am definitely in it for the long haul, and I'm excited about the future. As my biggest vision is to enter the retail space, I am already trying to develop relationships with several retailers. I want to have stores around the country, especially where there are students. In the long run, I want to hire designers who will take the brand to the next level," he shares.
He admits that building this business has had its ups and downs. He says finding suppliers, deciding which fabrics to use for his products and buying them at good prices were some of the challenges he experienced when he launched his business. Despite all these challenges, he found ways to work things out.
Mojalefa says he got his business acumen from his grandmother, a seamstress, who used to fix clothes for people in the neighbourhood in her spare time.
"We grew up poor, and my grandmother had to balance work with raising a family of six grandchildren. To assist her, I learned to bake muffins and then sold them at school to learners and teachers. I still draw from that experience in running my business affairs today," he says.
Mojalefa Motaung.
