Mluleki Qwabe, a 23 year-old style blogger from the rural side of Port Shepstone called St. Faiths, says he is very passionate about entrepreneurship and always strives to put his best foot forward.

“I’m a person who always wants to be the best at what I do and who stresses about the small details. You can see in the way I make sure that my clients and my own outfits are on point. Always,” he says.

In 2014, Mluleki dropped out of University (while doing his 2nd year in Bcom) in order to establish his very own company called Off Campus Homes. Needless to say, the business was not a success, but he managed to bounce back and is now the proud founder of The Modern Man.

The main objective for this men’s formal wear, online store and lifestyle blog is to dress entrepreneurs and young male professionals. The company started off in November 2016, as a mere Facebook page, and grew as a result of the many compliments Mluleki would receive on his sense of style.

In January 2017, the official launch of The Modern Man website took place and this is when Mluleki started blogging on style, empowerment and muscularity. Although a great number of people were subscribing to the website, brands were not paying them and business would soon fail.

Consequently, Mluleki and his team decided to develop their own brand and promote their clothing. These include tailored suits, ready to wear suits, accessories (ties, pockets squares and lapel flowers), shoes and trench coats – which are all available from their online store.

“We target men who want to dress for success. That’s why I say young male professionals are our target market because in our client list we have entrepreneurs, trader, pastors and graduating students,” he explained.

When we asked Mluleki about his views on the perception that fashion is expensive, he said: “Most African men believe that in order to look good and classy you have to have a lot of money and buy expensive designer clothing but that’s not true. My aim is to educate through my blog and vlog that to look good and classy you don’t have to break the bank”.

Mluleki went on to explained that as the brand is still in its foundation phase, it is vital for them to have a strategic partnership with their tailors. They also have UvoLwethu Communications running their PR; Focal Soft as their digital developers; as well as their very own photographer. This is all to ensure growth and professionalism.

A major plus for The Modern Man brand is that many of their initial clients have always known Mluleki as stylish, and as a result, making marketing and building rapport less challenging. Although this is the case, he does admit that there is also a fair number of skeptics.

“Slowly my work is starting to speak for itself and we getting more referrals and people are learning that entrepreneurship has no age. Next year June we are planning to launch our first Modern Man Boutique/Studio in Durban,” he added.

Among some of his highlights thus far, Mluleki cites being on a dating show called Take Me Out Mzansi (which aired on Vuzu Amp) as well as being featured on MTV during the Vodacom Durban July. These shows have played a major role in getting his brand to the masses.

You may contact him for more info:

Facebook: TheMordenMan || Twitter: @MlulekiQwabe
Mobile: +27 60 7780 668 || WhatsApp: +27 78 148 3414
Email: mlu@themordenman.co.za || Instagram: @mlu.q