MANAGING DIRECTOR: Mtembu

Locally produced GC Classic wear clothing label is the modern day classic clothing label developed into a symbol of contemporary Botswana culture. Label owners say it is a mixture of today’s culture of the streets and the preppy culture of the youth, particularly for the deep house music lovers. Managing Director of GC Classic Pty Ltd Licky Mtembu talks to INNOCENT TSHUKUDU about his climb to success.

Q. Please tell us about your business journey with GC classics.
I am the Managing Director of the company and I established the company from humble beginnings in 2006.

Q. Who is your target market and how has been the response?
The response has been very encouraging from a cross-section of age groups but youths especially in tertiary institutions have supported us a lot as they identify more with the lable.

Q. What did it take to establish a business of this nature in Botswana?
It wasn’t easy boss. There were other established companies in the business when I started and considering our small population, I was faced with a mammoth task of diverting the attention to my product.  I had to look at international labels and I was inspired by European labels such as G-Star and True Religion who have penetrated the fashion market through vigorous marketing.

Q. Who are your suppliers and how do you distribute your products?
We have a fashion designer, David Horn, who is based in capetown and he is the one who does the designs and and sends to the factory for production.

Q. What is your impression about the fashion industry in Botswana?
The industry is coming up and the future is still bright for entrepreneurs. The trouble is that most people juat want to make a quick buck and their businesses fade because of poor foundation. What is important in this business is to get it registered and one needs a good business acumen. As a business pererson you have to be creative, know your pkroduct and be familiar with the market that you operate in. One also needs advice from experts and fashion designers, its not just a matter of imagining a lable and sticking it to a garment.

Q. How is the quality of your products and what do you have in the market?
We deal in urban streetwear clothing and our policy is to stick to the best material. We use hemp as a base fabric. Our prohducts include hooded tops, t-shirts, sweaters, beanies, caps and visors.

Q. Do you intend to expand to other parts of the country?
As a matter of  fact we intend to go international. I have a good team and we are determined to to beyond the borders. So far we have covered a lot of ground locally in Francistown and Maun. We are in the process of establishing a base in Capetown soon and after that we’ll be looking at ways to penetrate further into other countries.

THE PRODUCT: GC classic merchandise

Q. What challenges do you encounter in the business?
The major problem we have is that we have to go as far as capetown to get the material we want while we have some of the best textile factpories in Botswana. All textile companies that we have approached tell us that they don’t sell to locals. They prefer exporting in large quantities to other countries and these are the same products that we buy at higher prices.

Q. How accessible are your products?
We are located at Electron House along the Moapare road in the Old Industrial area and we can also be contacted at 3170113 and we are also on Facebook.

PERSONAL PROFILE
FULL NAMES: Licky Matebu
PLACE OF BIRTH: Francistown
MARITAL STATUS: Single
FAVOURITE MEAL: Pap and phane
DREAM CAR: Range Rover
HOLIDAY DESTINATION: Israel