Local clothing company takes Hwange by storm

Ratidzai Matumbura

HWANGE-Leon Mwale, a fast-rising clothing entrepreneur from Hwange is already making waves with his fledgling clothing business and is determined to get to the top. 

Mwale owns the clothing company Lefae, short for ‘Leon Fashion Empire,’ that designs and sells 100% original cotton clothes for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. Mwale paid tribute to locals in Hwange who have supported him as one of their own.

“Even though people are going through economic challenges, they are trying by all means to support me and they all love my clothing,” said Mwale in an interview with Community Podium.

Not many Hwangerians are renowned for fashion and clothing and for Mwale to venture into the business is considered an audacious move. Most people in Hwange traditionally depend on Bulawayo and South Africa for their clothing and for a local young person to try and change that trajectory was always going to be an uphill task. However, the upbeat Mwale was bold enough to challenge the status quo and is already reaping some of the rewards.

Lefae has also cushioned locals from transport costs since they nolonger have to travel all the way to Bulawayo for cheaper clothing. 

“We nolonger have to use money for transport to buy clothes in Bulawayo. Even though prices were lower in Bulawayo, they used to get offset by the transport costs. Now we can locally buy our clothes from Lefae at fair prices and this is a big positive,” he said.

Another aspect that has endeared Lefae to the Hwange community is the messaging on some of the clothing which resonates with the people in the area. Local languages that include Nambya, Tonga and Nyanja are used and this has promoted loyalty among Lefae’s customers.

“We are proud to have our own local clothing brand which promotes our local languages. We had grown tired of promoting other cultures through clothing,” said Sylivia Ngwenya who was clad in a Lefae T-shirt emblazoned with the words ‘Ndine Mubhoni’, which means ‘I was born and bred in Hwange.’

Mwale, son of the legendary former Hwange Football Club and Young Warriors coach, Weekly Mwale  related his optimism and belief that he is on the right track. He intimitated on how he intends to grow his business empire to a global brand.

While acknowledging that he still has a long way to go, Mwale said he is pushing hard to achieve that goal.

“I am looking to work hard and break through the international market with Lefae Genius Outfit brand, but for now the first stop is the local market that I hope to saturate more,” he said.

To navigate through the prevailing harsh economic conditions, the young entrepreneur is pleading for support from the government and the corporate sector. He is of the view that as a panacea for young business people to succeed, the government has a huge role to play in terms of providing loans, incentives and business opportunities in line with young people’s enterprises. 

“This kind of  business needs the dedication of  a smart visionary who is disciplined  and willing to go the extra mile. Above all, believe in God and you will succeed,” said Mwale while giving advice to youths who are  still cutting their teeth in businesss.

 Mwale lists South Africa musician Rickie Ricky and his father, Weekly as his inspiration.

 “Watching Rickie Ricky at the red carpet in France modeling for Gucci was the turning point for me as I believed I could also produce such good brands. I also take this clothing business as a heritage from my family as my father, also a great soccer coach had his own brand named Weeks Sports that enjoyed considerable success and was quite popular among the Hwange community. As you can see, the fruit did not fall far from the tree,” said a beaming Mwale.