Zimpapers Logo

Tafadzwa Chibukwa, Chronicle Reporter
TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD, Mr Jevas Kuvarega has already registered a company operating in the clothing industry.

Having pursued sciences at Advanced Level, he went against his parents’ expectations by not enrolling at an institution of higher learning like his sibling, choosing the entrepreneurship path.

Without capital to raise funds, Mr Kuvarega started by going to Inyathi to buy milk in bulk that he would sell on the streets of Bulawayo.

Now Mr Kuvarega, is the owner of the Pyramid Clothing.

His business idea was simple: He would buy hats and have his brand, a pyramid, printed on them and that proved popular with the youths who come to his shop.

T-shirts are now included with his tagline “uplifted by grace” to appeal to the older generation.

While his peers chose to enrol at institutions of higher learning after high school, Mr Kuvarega is working towards making a name for himself in the clothing industry.

After studying sciences during his Advanced Level at Hamilton High School, Mr Kuvarega’s decision to chase a different career path was not welcomed by his parents.

“I used to do sciences at school and the last industry I expected to find myself in was fashion and design. Luckily enough, I did art but I never understood how It linked up with my future,” said Mr Kuvarega

Being the only children in their family, the parents of Jevas and his twin Jeffrey Kuvarega always looked up to them to attain a good life for themselves.

Soon after completing his high school in 2019, while his brother continued with his education, Mr Kuvarega followed his newly-found passion for the clothing industry.

Mr Kuvarega said his parents did not approval of his chosen career path, but he took this as a motivator for him to work harder and prove to them that he could make his name in the industry.

He looked for ways to raise capital for his business.

He worked tirelessly selling milk and finally on July 6 last year, he managed to establish his brand and register his company.

Mr Kuvarega raised capital by buying fresh milk in bulk and reselling it on the streets of Bulawayo.

He said he would travel to Inyathi to buy the milk where transport would leave him far from the destination and he would walk long distances to get where the milk was supplied in bulk.

“I would walk for four hours from the bus stop to the exact location where the suppliers were,” said Mr Kuvarega.

He sold the milk for about three to four months until when he could safely say he had enough capital to open a shop at a flea market.

He ordered 12 bucket hats and took them for printing.

That was the first step he took and the feedback was positive.

Mr Kuvarega said when things were going well for him, the flea market he was located at closed down and he was left stranded.

That is when he went and applied for space at Haddon and Sly where he was offered shop 32.

He says moving to Haddon and Sly seemed to be an advantage for him as he met a lot of young people who loved his branded clothes.

“When doing my research, I discovered that Louis Vuitton worked in a company where they made briefcases, but when Louis saw that it was hard to pile the briefcases because of the curvy shape they had on the top, he came up with a flat topped briefcase and that is how he created his legacy because he named the briefcases after his name,” said Mr Kuvarega.

He said he was inspired by the design of a pyramid which is built with a base of a polygon and triangular faces all connected together.

With the growth in competition in the business, targeting the young teenagers alone cannot sustain him as there are a lot of brands that are readily known.

Mr Kuvarega said he has expanded his market by adding a tagline “uplifted by grace” to appeal to adults.

“My products are affordable for everyone because my goal is to share a message to everyone rather than just selling,” he said. – @Sagepapie14