South African Black Millionaire South Africa's First Black Shoe Designes Phindi and Tshepo Kgaudi

Meet South African Black Shoe designers making millions of dollars in the fashion Industry. The powerful millionaire couple Phindi and Tshepo Kgaudi

Just when everyone is bemoaning the lack of cross-border trade by South African business, along comes Phindi K – a shoe and bag design company that has exploited the good relations between Mzansi and Brazil.


Owned by partners of 12 years Phindi (34) and Tshepo Kgaudi (38), the business designs unique red-sole shoes for production in Brazil.
After China, Brazil is among the most cost-effective production sites in the world. And Brazil generally doesn’t attract the same negative publicity China does with its frequent product recalls – the latest being its dairy product scare.


So it was a no-brainer that the two would go to Brazil.


The House of Phindi K, situated in Northcliff in Jozi, produces high quality and stylish shoes and bags for classy, elegant and influential women.


The business opened in 1999 after the two quit their day jobs to venture into fashion and to showcase their hidden talents.


“We thought there was a gap in the market for top quality shoes,” says Phindi.


So the two investigated and found a Brazilian company that could supply their needs and provide logistic support such as protecting their intellectual property, particularly patents and trademarks.


This was an important consideration as most third world countries offer very lax legal protection with regulations that aren’t worth the paper they are written on.


“The last thing you want, after you’ve spent years and money building a brand, is to find that anyone can copy your product,” says Tshepo.


The couple, who also own an exclusive, upmarket tourist agency, have an interior design background, so moving to pursue their passion for shoes was easy.


Their shoes range in price from R500 to R2300 and are designed with a sexy red-coloured sole and a durable tip made from special skateboard material and seven layers of bonding.


“Our tips last longer than most products on the market because of the tough material we use,” says the ever smiling Phindi.


“We want to grow Phindi K nationally and internationally,” she says.


So you should not be surprised when, in a couple of years, among your favourite items in your closet are a pair of red-soled South African shoes.


Phindi and Tshepo Kgaudi started Phindi K because of their passion for shoes.