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Rhodé Marshall chats to luxury leather goods designer Inga Gubeka about his bespoke bag range.
Born in Ngqeleni in the Eastern Cape, 31-year-old Joburg-based entrepreneur Inga Gubeka is fast becoming the most sought after contemporary luxury leather accessories and bag designer in the country – even President Cyril Ramaphosa has one.
Gubeka founded Inga Atelier in December 2013 and started by creating wooden bags, which became increasingly popular. After #Trending spotted a tweet he posted about his bags which soon led to it being sold out at his kiosk in Hyde Park Corner shopping centre. Gubeka tells us the bags are a fusion of African luxury and Scandinavian design elements.
What was your earliest ambition?
It has always been in the creative industry. Having grown up watching Top Billing on SABC, I was inspired by the DIY slot where they made cool things on set. I just didn’t know what to study because I was never exposed to career guidance.
Who was or still is your mentor?
Honestly, I have different mentors for different things. I like Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ approach to business and what he has built. I read a lot about him.
I’m also inspired by the journey of [Nike chairperson] Phil Knights. The ups and downs, as well as the story of how he started is close to my heart – how he built Nike to what it is now. His book The Shoe Dog remains one of my favourite.
Ambition or talent – which matters more to be successful in your industry?
Talent alone is never enough. Ambition is very spiritual – with ambition, you can build almost anything. Even if you don’t have talent, it’s that power of belief that you can do it.
What is your next ambition?
My biggest ambition is to become one of the best luxury leather goods brands to come out of Africa. I want a brand that tells an African story and competes with all the international brands out there. We as Africans consume a lot of luxury, but we don’t produce much in comparison to consumption, therefore I want to inspire others and show them that it’s possible to create a brand these days.
What drives you?
A passion to succeed and to help those around me to be successful. I’m also obsessed with design – that’s one of the key drivers that keeps me going.
What is the greatest achievement in your life so far?
Having a Glenfiddich whisky named after me, which made me the only African to have a whisky named after them. Each bottle is valued at R80 000 and only 30 were made.
What is the greatest challenge for local designers now?
We are not competitive. Our prices are considered high because we compete against all the fast fashion retail stores who produce goods at a cheaper rate in China. Producing locally can be expensive.
Another big challenge is the access to markets. You can design beautiful clothes, but if you can’t sell them anywhere, you will not survive. It’s not like in First World countries, where you can sell your items online – our environment doesn’t allow for that yet. It will take us some time to get used to online shopping. Customers still prefer touch and feel in South Africa.
What inspires your work?
My village, my journey and the Scandinavian design approach, especially the clean lines, and minimal and straight cuts.
What are the thoughts behind the material and technique that you use?
The material I use is from Africa – it’s genuine leather called bovine. My technique is to use less – keeping it minimal and simple is the most difficult thing. It’s really difficult to achieve simplicity, but very easy to design something busy and ugly. I’m also a huge fan of sustainable design.
- Shop for the range at ingaatelier.com
