• My Zone Careers

Creating a Namibian luxury brand

- 2023-03-10 00:00:00

Petrina Auino-Mwandingi's decision to start a Namibian leather accessory business came after realising the difficulty of buying locally made leather products such as handbags and totes in the country.
She had purchased leather totes while travelling prior to launching Kova, due to a lack of local products.
Eventually, armed with her sewing skills, she decided to buy a leather sewing machine and start her business under the brand name Kova.
"Leather is a durable and sustainable material, which makes it a versatile medium to work with," she said.
Derived from the Oshiwambo word ‘onkova," which means leather, Kova was born as a creative outlet in 2017.

For the love of creativity
Auino-Mwandingi graduated from the University of the Western Cape with a summa cum laude in naturopathy. Apart from running Kova, she also works as a naturopath in Windhoek.
She started the local brand for the love of simple things in life and to supplement her income. She expanded from selling only leather tote handbags to selling accessories such as leather inner totes, laptop sleeves and cases, briefcases, passport holders, iPad cases, and card holders.
Customers can purchase Kova products via their website and online store, and purchases can be couriered to all parts of Namibia.
Kova products are also sold at The Studio, a Namibian fashion house on Independence Avenue in Windhoek, at Gondwana King Nehale Etosha, and at the Hosea Kutako International Airport.
Kova products can be customised at an additional cost.

Two sides of the coin
Managing the brand has been a learning experience with both rewarding and challenging aspects, Auino-Mwandingi explained.
She said besides all the ups and downs, she is living a dream she had for her brand, which at times feels surreal, especially when seeing the brand grow at an unanticipated pace.
Her motivation to keep the brand alive comes from seeing customers return and seeing them refer others to her products.
Auino-Mwandingi said rewarding experiences include witnessing how creative people get styling with Kova bags, receiving and delivering bulk orders, and being approached by corporate companies for large orders.
On the other hand, sourcing hardware can be tricky.
"Finding some equipment, raw materials, and hardware for Kova, such as specific zips and buckles, is a challenge when working with some products," she said.

Stay on track
She advised that to have a successful local brand, aspiring entrepreneurs should focus on investing in the groundwork.
Furthermore, she emphasised the importance of discipline in helping to grow a brand, quoting Ded Prez, who said, "plan your work and work your plan."
Additionally, she stressed that putting in the work for your brand to thrive is important.
"Consistency, perseverance, patience and passion are required," she said.