Tsonga

TSONGA - BE BETTER EVERYDAY

We are not perfect, we are simply on a journey to become a better business everyday. What does that mean? Simple. If we can do one thing each and everyday to help us become a more environmentally minded and socially conscious business, imagine where we will be in the next 20 years.

At Tsonga we dream big. Our journey started 20 years ago when our goal was to create a brand that believed there was more to business than profit. We wanted to produce everything in South Africa thus creating jobs at a time when our industry was being decimated by cheap imports from the East. It was founded on John F Kennedy’s words: “A rising tide lifts all boats”.

We were told it couldn’t be done. We were told it was a waste of time and money.
Well… 20 years later, look at where we are. We have sold our product to the worlds leading retailers: Nordstrom and Amazon to name a few. We distribute our product around the world and we have built up a 25 store retail business that is growing everyday. We still deal with our original distributors in Australia who were our very first customers. They believed in us and we believe in them. This really just proves that in a world based on fleeting conversations and fast fashion, there is still room for relationships, loyalty and a product that is built to last. In fact, we believe more than ever, this is the future.

We have taken pause and reflected on our first 20 years, and though we have made mistakes, lots of them, we still believe more than ever that what we set out to do is still as valid as ever.

Our leather bound story is born out of an ambition to create an international footwear and accessories brand with humble roots and a strong African heritage. Tsonga wholly embodies a collaboration of passionate people, their creativity and their talents to bring about a positive difference in society.
 
We have started to evaluate our supply chain and we only want to work with ethical suppliers who want to be part of this journey with us. It is a continual work in progress and something we will constantly strive to improve on.

As we started to discuss what we could do we realised that this journey to “Be Better” has no end: from stopping the use of single use plastics in our business, to looking for suppliers of recycled sole materials and turning our fabric marketing materials into handbag carriers.

We are far from perfect and still make mistakes everyday but our goal is simple:“Be Better Everyday”.

Address: 1 Dartnell Road Willowton Pietermaritzburg 3200, Cape town, South Africa
Email: online@tsonga.com
Phone: +27 33 387 9206
Website: https://www.tsonga.com/