Mmanoko Hardley Matlwa-Seleka was born and raised predominantly by his grandmother in a village known as Ga-Manamela in Ga-Matlala, Limpopo before later moving to live with his parents in Soshanguve, Pretoria.
A far cry from where he finds himself now, he is an electrical engineer by trade having acquired a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering before furthering his tertiary studies and graduating with a BTech. He credits his late father with his passion for this profession.
He recalls his late father, who passed away in 2008, as being the sole breadwinner for their family, a hard-working man who always ensured his family were well taken care of. His father was an electrical engineer by profession and says that his father had started grooming him in this trade from an early age by taking him along to work at technical schools and his own passion for this trade grew during those formative years with his father’s guidance.
His father’s wish for him had always been to follow in his footsteps. He tells us: “After his passing in 2008, I felt that the baton was now in my hands, and I had to complete the race – in his honour.”
With that baton firmly in his grip, following his own ingrained passion and his late father’s wish, Seleka completed his tertiary studies and proceeded to embark on a learnership with an engineering company.
Over a period of eight years he progressed from the learnership through various positions, eventually fulfilling the role of Chief Technical Officer from which position he resigned in 2017, at which point Seleka left the company to pursue his dream of starting his own business.
Seleka utilised his savings and provident fund payout to fund is new venture, and in 2020 he founded Atlantic Apara O Tlale.
Clothing Brand
In a challenging space, Seleka took risks to create something unique to South Africa. He tells us how he seldom found clothing that he enjoyed, so he took advantage of that loophole, creating his own South African-owned brand. He then set to work on sourcing mass production companies who could help him realise his vision of producing the best quality clothing using the best textile fabric possible. This involved researching and sampling nine production companies, both local and international before finally settling on five of them, three of which are proudly South African, and two international companies, to produce his line and build his brand.
Challenges
The challenges were many, but Seleka believed in not only his own ability, but that of those around him. The risks were worth the potential rewards, and of course, he was carrying the baton passed down from his father. Seleka says, “Some of the challenges were finding the right designs and getting them approved, funding the entire project, being rejected by production companies, getting negative comments from people who said it will fail and having to get my team to fully understand my vision.” Furthermore, Seleka explains, “The concept, brainstorming, planning and all our items being produced, getting them delivered and starting to trade took us a whole eighteen months.
“The journey was not easy, especially finding the right manufacturer that met the quality and standards I required. Through it all, I managed to pull through because I believed in the idea that I had, and today Atlantic Apara O Tlale is a reality.”
When it comes to clothing in South Africa, the problem most people have is the struggle to find the correct fitment. Creating a larger assortment of fits and styles to compliment the “unique and varying shapes and sizes of the African community” was one of Seleka’s biggest goals.“The South African community, not being a one size fits all, was lacking this within the larger retailers in the country, and acknowledging this gap, Atlantic Apara O Tlale set out to address the issue by incorporating varying styles and fits into their envisioned designs,” says Seleka.
He continues, “Our mission is to offer a valuable touch of local flair by offering premium styling, quality and value in an assortment of sizes and styles to accommodate all the varying body styles and shapes of the ethnic community.”
A brand for all
At a glance, Apara O Tlale’s offerings may appear very youth-focused in their designs, however a closer look reveals a much wider range which closely follows generational trends.
Seleka says they do not categorise their clients, their brand can be worn by anyone, anywhere, and in any style. The brand can be worn in boardrooms, golf courses and social events, and creating a brand where people can relate to it no matter their age is important.
As a young brand, Apara O Tlale has already come so far, but Seleka still have many great aspirations for the company. They are focusing on opening more stores across the country which will alleviate some unemployment and add value to the economy. These long-term plans include creating value beyond product, intensive brand marketing and the implementation of strategies to retail beyond the borders of South Africa. In striving towards these aspirations, we will soon see a new line released, adding to their existing line of garments. We can look forward to items such as jackets, sweatpants, bucket hats and chinos and the exciting new addition to their range of accessories such as cologne, belts and watches.
From concept to creation to distribution all Apara O Tlale items are designed in South Africa, for South Africans. Seleka says “That’s what we do! Timeless essentials that are continuously transformed to best suit the latest trends.”
The name Apara O Tlale is derived from a slang term widely used in Pretoria ‘Go Tlala’ which means ‘to be impressed’ and that is the message this brand brings, dress in Apara O Tlale and be impressed with your look. The logo, which comprises the letter A (for Atlantic) facing four different ways has no significance other than to symbolize his intention. Seleka muses, “To me it symbolizes the cardinal directions – Atlantic Apara O Tlale from me to the world.”
It seems this is only the beginning for Mmanoko Hardley Matlwa-Seleka and this fledgling brand having already come so far over a difficult few years. With his desire and determination to provide quality and variety to South Africans their soon to be released additions are definitely something to look forward to. Whilst we can’t speak for his father, we are sure that his father is pleased with the way he has carried the family baton.
Mmanoko Hardley Matlwa-Seleka
