"Home is where the heart is". - Binneplaas

Bonginkosi Radebe, born at Baragwanath hospital in Soweto Diepkloof is the founder of the street wear called BinnePlaas. Previously Bonginkosi was residing in Dube, which is in the heart of Soweto but now resides in an area called Suurbekom, on the outskirts of Soweto. He did his lower grades to grade 12 in a predominantly Muslim school, then later studied Graphic Design at his tertiary level.

Please share when did you commence with BINNEPLAAS and what inspired you to go for it? And why the name BINNEPLAAS? “The first print of the brand was done back in 2008 as a small project between friends. It was meant to represent the people who were locals where I was residing (Suurbekom). It was meant for us to be able to identify one another when we are outside of our location, since we all came from the same place. The name Binneplaas came from the fact that we were representing the agricultural environment that we were proud of. The brand started evolving when the market started to demand the product on a public scale. Since then, the brand has been producing on a small scale to a niche market. It was in in 2019 that we decided to go out and promote the brand as lifestyle. The brand still represents anyone that is local, local within anywhere. From Cape to Cairo, Bloemfontein to Mozambique and more. But one thing we will never lose, is that “home is where the heart is”, hence our logo being the “farm house”. The whole of South Africa is a farm, and everybody is a local in that farm, so everybody is a “Binneplaas”.

Challenges you faced at the beginning and how did you tackle them? “The first challenge was stepping into a field that seemed saturated, and having to stand out by choosing a name that lives on beyond my immediate environment. But also, I had to keep in mind that it should be unique and catchy at the same time. From then on it was getting the resources to create such a brand. Those resources would be such things as a PC for designs, a place to stock merchandise and then also a printer. I had to start networking and rubbing shoulders with people in the same field as my interest. By so doing I was able to learn more about how and where to attain such resources as mentioned above”.

Your highlights so far? “It was back in the early days of the brand when we managed to gain sales from the then Y-fm Dj’s, MacG and Mo Flava. Other celebrities or public figures to have bought the brand included kwaito artist Mapaputsi, Muvhango actress Simz Ngema, and other upcoming artists such as rapper Medaphorz,etc, that made me believe I have one of the best street wears on the streets”.

Did the lockdown affect the business? “Man we have taken a huge knock in our sales. With the restrictions of social gatherings, the market space has become very small and suppliers have increased prices. Also, the looting that has recently swept through Soweto and other areas has made it even more challenging to operate as usual due to security reasons. Production has slowed down due to the loss of jobs by most of our clients as well”.

Available at: Authentic Junxion, Rockville, Soweto

Connect with us here:

Facebook: Binneplaas

Instagram: Binneplaas

Website: www.binneplaas.co.za

To get our monthly magazine copy simply TEXT #WhatsAppMag to 0787037820 or click on the link below and text #WhatsAppMag

wa.me/27787037820