CBD entrepreneur Lumumba Myesa is redefining men’s fashion one natty shirt at a time.
Bold, confident and charismatic, Lumumba “Lu” Myeza is not known as “The Shirt Master” for nothing. His business, Magia Poderosa on the Foreshore, sells exclusive men’s shirts that are as dashing as he is.
The day we arrive to interview him in his small, stylish shop in the Foreshore Place arcade, he is hand-stitching a display shirt designed to turn heads and lure passers-by to his new retail space he has only just occupied. For contrast, he is using embroidered lace in front and for comfort, cotton velvet on the sleeves and back and plans to adorn the lapel area with Swarovski Crystals.
The shirt spells comfort and screams lifestyle: it is also aspirational, allowing its wearer to be “part of a shirt movement”. The entrepreneur believes South Africa’s fashion industry is elitist, “hasn’t been challenged” and needs a shakeup.
He is going against mass production which, he believes, along with social media, is watering down creativity, authenticity and leading to trends falling in and out of style rapidly. He plans to buck those trends with timeless quality pieces.
CAPTURING INDIVIDUALITY
“I’m trying to capture individuality, masculinity and art; that’s why you see all these different prints,” says Myeza, pointing to the colourful rails. “These shirts have the ability to transform you as once you put them on, you become someone else.”
Unsurprisingly, he believes shirts define Black South African men, following the lead of the late Madiba who made shirts famous. “I want to create a shirt movement that will unify South Africans of all races and classes,” he says.
With the price of shirts starting from R1 000, Myesa concedes his creations are not accessible to everyone, but he is determined to produce a quality product that people will covet. His fledgling business is but two years old and his Cape Town store is his first standalone outlet.
MAKING MAGIC
While he has always loved clothes, he didn’t dream of becoming a clothing entrepreneur. It all happened “like magic”, hence the name of his business: Magia Poderosa – which he runs with his brother, Andile, – means “powerful magic” in Spanish.
In 2009, when he was based in Johannesburg and working in the beauty industry (he did a stint at MAC Cosmetics and then moved to Avon), he wore clothes from YDE and Zara. “I like to dress up and always received compliments,” he laughs. “When Zara become too mainstream for me, I started designing my own shirts and had them made up for me.”
People took note, and he was inundated with requests on Facebook. Eventually he gave in and bagged R 4 000 with his first two orders. Two weeks later, more orders followed, and he launched his business online and promoted it through social media.
Today, a designer and shop owner, he has his own line. Myeza is influenced by Balmain, Olivier Rousteing, Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin and early 90s Versace. These are visible in his designs which are provocative and detail-oriented – qualities he admires in these greats who are synonymous with fine craftsmanship.
DREAMS BECOME REALITY
His big break came in January 2021 when he found a financier and temporarily stopped taking orders to focus on creating a physical store. However, his sacrifice affected his income and to solve his dilemma, he approached the owner of The Tux Tailor, which makes custom suits, and asked if he could display two shirts on mannequins in one of his stores.
“He was sceptical because our brands are different. I was crushed. Then a day later, he gave me the opportunity to take over this store and Magia Poderosa was born.”
He is not resting on his laurels, though. While getting his business off the ground, he is also studying Social Science at the University of Cape Town. “Destiny has always pushed me to different spaces and I’m listening and following. I’ve accepted that my life is not going to be average,” he says.
IMAGES: CCID