Danger makes you feel so alive
Chapter 2 : How Mama Moto ?
It’s already dark and it’s raining cats and dogs. I arrive in Cape Town after a stop in Amsterdam and 15 hours of flight. I am inhabited both by the will to start right away and by the fear of failure. I don’t really want to go back after an unsuccessful attempt, neither to justify myself to people that had warned me. What if I couldn’t make it ? Let’s see tomorrow.
In the morning, I’m on my way to see Devin at Woodstock Moto Co, a community moto garage in an up and coming neighbourhood. I met Devin during my first stay in Cape Town, he’s one of these great people you can always count on. He knew I was back in town and had already selected a few second-hand motorcycles ads.
Thanks to him I try a red and white Xt600 Ténéré from 1984. I had the blue model in Paris so without a doubt, I buy this one for a few hundred bucks. Here nobody want these bikes anymore, the kickstart is way too outdated.
Now that I have a ride, I’m wandering in the city looking for suppliers and workshops to produce my prototypes. Easier said than done. I ask a tailor in the center, he tells me that he can’t really help me. He gives me adresses of factories that could help me producing my patterns. I’d like to make clothes and accessories inspired by motorcycle and adventure. To start with, a backpack, a travel bag, a man t-shirt and a woman t-shirt. I want solid and timeless pieces of high quality. Products that can go through the years, and that can be worn at a diner party as well as during a motorcycle trip to the other side of the world.
I’m going to lots of different factories and it’s the beginning of a barren spell. I find myself facing many difficulties.
«Sorry, we don’t produce under a 1000 pieces»
I need a few prototypes, not a multinational company’s stock…
- “We produce with our own coton.”
- “Very well. Where does it come from ? Is it organic ?”
- “It’s not organic. It’s from China, it’s cheaper”
Everybody seems to give me the same answers. I’m starting to lose hope. Since the country opened its frontiers to facilitate business transactions, the local productions started to collapse. It became almost impossible to be as competitive as the Asian market and its knock-down prices.
Four weeks that I’m here now. I feel like giving up. I’m starting to tell myself that maybe it was not such a good idea. It’s a hard thing to accept when you’re full of good intentions. It’s not that complicated, I want a few quality products, made locally while respecting people and nature.
I’m tired about all this but on the other hand I never felt so alive. It’s a fight. A conquest. A marathon run in 100 meters sprints. You have to be strong, there is still a long road to go.
One evening as I’m heading back to my place, I discover not far from Devin’s garage a little sign from a leather shop. Intrigued, I come back the next morning to get some informations. There I meet John, a Rasta man originally from Cameroon that invites me to visit his workshop.
Zimbabwe, Mali, Congo, Rwanda, Mozambique, Malawi, South-Africa… here are artists from all over Africa. I’m a bit surprised since this is not that usual in Cape Town, racism between communities is still very present. John tells me:
«I like everybody, I employ everybody. As long as they are motivated I wanna work with them. Where do they come from ? I don’t care. I wanna know who they are. »
I’m watching John’s work and I realise that this man has gold in his hands. I question him about his background and I learn that he’s been hand-crafting costumes on set for some of the most beautiful TV series from Hollywood. Many are shot in South-Africa like Black Sails for example. His workshop doesn’t look like anything special, but he is definitely a great professional, and an outstanding artist.
We make a deal : he will craft my prototypes, with my choice of leather and fabric. If I’m happy with the result, he’ll be in charge of the production.
I want my logos to be embroidered. John send me to a workshop owned by women, in the suburb. To my surprise, I see at my arrival that these women are embroidering shirts for the national rugby team, the Springboks ! These players are real heroes of the country, I take that as a guarantee of quality. I get closer to the working areas and am astonished by the fineness in the details, this is sterling work ! I leave my logos with them, I’m sure they’re in good hands.
The following week, it’s time to go back and fetch my embroideries. I arrive early and, to kill time, I ramble in the alleys of the warehouses. Through the door of one of them, I see a bold man about 50 proudly wearing a round belly. He’s dancing in the middle of dozens of seamstresses at work. He sees me and I feel a bit embarrassed. He runs at me and ask me what I’m doing here, with a smile on his face.
This man is named Lance. He’s an entrepreneur in the clothing industry, a retired ballroom dancer. He grew up in Mitchell’s Plain, one of the poorest township around Cape Town. To thank life for getting him out of poverty, he’s only employing women from townships. He considers that they are his own family and he does everything he can to help them becoming strong and independent. Learning this, I’m begging him to take care of my first collection of clothes. He accepts, seduced by my will to put human kind at the center of this production.
Together we will produce clothes from a mix of hemp and coton, fully sourced and produced in South-Africa. I fell in love with this fabric for its unbelievable properties : anti-bacterial, very durable, biodegradable, breathable … and most important thing : sustainable and eco-friendly.
I’m not done yet, but after many efforts, I’m happy to say that I achieved starting this thing. Being a solo entrepreneur ain’t easy sometimes, but I really think we should all try it, at least once in our life. I’m trying to do it in country that is not mine, with people that I don’t know, and in a language that I don’t master. Sometimes I’m asking myself why am I doing such a thing, until I find myself in a workshop surrounded by these amazing women. They’re both so brave and talented, I can not disappoint them…
I am terrified and happy at the same time. The most beautiful things in life are no coincidences, you shouldn’t force them, you just have to stay humble and make them happen. Despite my doubts, my instinct tells me that I am in the right direction.
During those moments there’s only one thing to do, get on the bike. The music of the engine and the wind in my face, I’m serene, I’m recovering, I’m a free woman.
