Having a passionate interest in the growth of small entrepreneurial businesses. We look into the business, Gee! Bravura, founded by Gcobisa Ndum-ndum born in Mount Frere and raised in Mthatha. She currently resides in Algoa Park located in Gqeberha. Gee! Bravura is a handmade leather apparel based in Gqeberha. We have a little chat with Gcobisa regarding the background and growth of her business.
Before we speak Gee! Bravura, please tell us which is your favourite Mzansi brand that you love besides yours and why? “Weylandts’ has to be my favourite brand. I love their designs because they implement an earthly touch in everything they create, including the environment of their shops. It radiates healing and peaceful energies for me. I could even say that brand is my role model”.
Now back to Gee! Bravura, when did you commence with your luxury leather line and what inspired you to start your own brand? “I started ‘Gee!’ (now known as Gee! Bravura), in 2020. The intention was to raise enough money to afford my daughter’s school Euro Tour. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I began by selling coats and my customers started wanting more from me, they loved my services so much that they believed that I could do more. However, I did not want to be ordinary and produce things that were unnoticeable in the crowd. From that point, this brand came to life. I chose to utilize leather as the primary materials for three reasons. Firstly, it lasts for a very long time; secondly, it is an all season material and lastly, its value increases as time goes by”.
Why the name Gee! Bravura, and what do you want to communicate to the public? “Well, at first it was just ‘Gee!’ because that is what almost everyone calls me. My daughter thought that was too plain and suggested we add the exclamation mark. We did that, loved it, and then we were known as ‘Gee!’ for quite a while. When it came to officially registering my business, I started to look for a word that could sit next to ‘Gee!’ to identify it as a clothing and accessories branch - as I already knew that I hope to launch a branch for Home accessories someday (which would be referred to as ‘Gee! Home’ or something like that). As I was searching for synonyms for the word ‘style’, the word ‘bravura’ came up. I went deeper into researching its meaning. Essentially it means: great and brilliance shown in activity. There is skill in what I do with this business so the word really fit. Plus, it sounds really rich in its own right. Thenceforth my business became ‘Gee! Bravura’.
What are some of the challenges you faced when you started with Gee! Bravura and how did you overcome those? “Learning to invest in myself, which in this case is in the form of my business was hard. Taking the minimal salary I used to support my business was the challenge. In the long run, however, it has proved to pay off. The other struggle I faced was caused by a fault in strategy. I would manufacture products for customers before I was guaranteed that they would pay the money or complete their deposits on time once I delivered the products to them". Changing that system to one that only manufactures goods once payment is done solved that problem”.
What do you think constitutes the power of innovation in the leather making industry? “One can make so many different accessories and forms of clothing from leather (which is also very durable); without doubt that whatever they produce will carry great value. That is what motivates me to use this material and that is part of the reasons, I believe why people are attracted to the leather industry”.
What has been the highlights of your leather brand thus far? “The highlights for my brand are always when a new design receives great adoration”.
Lastly, when not busy pushing the brand - what do you do to keep sane? “To cool off and relax my mind from everything, I visit cafes often or I sit in my bed to drink coffee, tea or even wine too while listening to podcasts. Other times my daughter joins me as well".