Luyanda Mehlomakhulu Shoe Matters
Luyanda and Lebogang Mehlomakhulu are childhood sweethearts who have known each other since they were nine years old. They are also the owners of Clean Grip Shoe Laundry, whose core business is cleaning shoes and sneakers. People spend thousands on designer footwear and cleaning them is often a challenge because there is a risk of ruining them if this is not done correctly.
Lebogang knows this from personal experience.
“I had shoes of my own that were ruined when I washed them. They’d come out of the washing machine stretched, discoloured and sometimes damaged. I became fed up and started playing with the idea of starting a sneaker-cleaning company,” she explains.
The business concept began to materiaise when Lebogang sought Luyanda’s advice on the feasibility of running such a venture. That was when their research kicked off in earnest. “We went to the township, where we knew guys are meticulous in keeping their sneakers clean and in
When Clean Grip Shoe Laundry was officially opened in 2015, Lebogang and Luyanda only had to worry about advertising their service. Like many other start-ups, they have had their fair share of teething problems. Lebogang quit her job as a writer to manage the business full-time, while Luyanda is still employed in the property sector.
Their business model is based on a collect-and- deliver model. Customers ring and their shoes are picked up, cleaned and returned to them after 48 hours. The Mehlomakhulus have trained several shoe-cleaning technicians to assist, especially
tip-top condition. We took it one step further by researching whether anyone had actually turned shoe-washing into a business,” says Luyanda.
The Mehlomakhulus began experimenting with various formulas for cleaning footwear. This trial- and-error phase continued for about three years until – with the help of pharmacist friends – they concocted a detergent formula which cleans shoes and sneakers without damaging them. As part of their service, they also disinfect, deodorise and do colour restoration.
since the business has grown in the past three years. The couple see it expanding further into franchises and competing with some of the nation’s finest. In the medium to long term, they also want to sell their “magic” cleaning formula to the general public.
Clean Grip Shoe Laundry capitalises on social media, word of mouth and celebrity endorsements to market its services. The Mehlomakhulus can often be found at events frequented by their target audience: middle-class “sneaker-heads”.
70 An Absa Investment publication
Photographers: Dane Fortein & Zuzi Seoka. Make-up: Lindiwe Sokhulu, Asanda Mda & Zenzi Masuku
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