Meet Hanneli Rupert: WEF Young Global Leader, fashion entrepreneur

The South African contingent among the WEF’s Young Global Leaders programme has some auspicious graduates, JSE chief executive Nicky Newton King, global social entrepreneur Taddy Blacher and sought-after analyst Martyn Davies among them. The latest intake includes Hanneli Rupert, scion of SA’s most powerful business family. As you’ll hear in this interview, Rupert is following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of grandfather Anton and father Johann – with a little millennial spice. – Alec Hogg

Hanneli Rupert is a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum. This is the first of these WEF meetings you’ve been to?

It’s the first official one. I became a Young Global Leader in 2014 and so I’ve been interacting with the community quite a lot, but this is the official World Economic Forum.

Your company Okapi….tell us a bit about that name.

I started Okapi in 2008 and I named it after an antelope, which is found in the Congo – the only place it’s found in the wild. I wanted to have an anthropological name and I love the animal for many reasons. Firstly, it’s exquisite and secondly, it’s known as the African unicorn. I thought that was very representative for me with what I wanted to do. People still have a mental block associating Africa with luxury and I liked the idea of my brand being ‘African unicorn’.

Your granddad (Dr Anton Rupert) was the father of branding in South Africa – did you spend much time with him? Did you ever talk business with him?

I wouldn’t say we ever spoke business but yes, he was a strong influencing figure as all my grandparents were.

You’ve also picked up the entrepreneurial spirit. Did you start at a young age? 

I actually studied Fine Arts and I was painting for a few years after university. During that time, it was a rather reflective process for me so I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do, where I wanted to do it, and why. I only really started working in a commercial way in 2007, so quite late in life.

You are making an impact, though. How many of the handbags are you making now? 

It’s still a very small business. We focus on doing very small runs, so each bag is individual. I like to work in a more bespoke sphere and one-on-one with clients.

Is the product solely from Africa?

Yes, everything is sourced and made in Africa. Okapi is my one business and then I have another company, called Merchants on Long, which is a multi-brand store where I stock what I perceive to be some of the best brands from around Africa. They’re made locally – on the continent.

That’s Long Street here in Cape Town.

Exactly. We have one on Long Street and I hope to open one in Johannesburg in the next few months.

Tell me about the Young Global Leaders program.

I was nominated in 2014 and I’m still learning a little bit about how it works because it’s really, at its core network. As with any network, you can use it as much as you want to. Personally, I find it an incredible honour. There are such incredible members and they really do go out of their way to help one another. It’s incredible to see Africans working together towards similar goals and the goals are good ones. I’m particularly inspired by the African members.

The Africa Summit: how involved have you been?

I’ve been quite involved. I could have been more involved, but I’ve been spending quite a lot of time in London, so it’s been difficult – not being on the ground. The actual Forum organised everything. They’ll ask us to get involved in presenting different sessions, etcetera, in which I think Young Global Leaders have all been rather active.

How old are you now?

I’m 30.

Thirty-year old South Africans are global citizens. Do you think that’s an advantage?

I do think it’s an advantage.

You said now that you spent time in London. Do you live mainly there or mainly here?

I’m on an Entrepreneur’s Visa, so I’m planning to come back to South Africa. I think most South Africans my age are. I think it’s fantastic for anyone in the world to gain experience internationally and take that experience back to their home countries.

Your bags: are you managing to sell them in London?

Yes, we wholesale internationally. I would say we probably sell an equal split between my bricks and mortar store in Cape Town and abroad. Obviously, the buying power in South Africa is not as high as it is in other countries around the world. In addition, Cape Town is not really a retail-focused city, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes in Johannesburg.

You have a busy life. Do you take much interest in the big stuff that gets people like your father and people of my age, all hot under the collar? 

It’s a difficult question because you said ‘the big stuff’. I think there’s so much big stuff. If you choose to let it all bother you, then it’s impossible to go on. With what I do, I work quite closely with environmentalism and I think it’s at the core of many of the big problems we face. If we’re thinking about job creation, it’s fine to think about it now in five or ten-year terms. However, when much of our natural resources run out, what are we going to do in 15 or 20 years? It seems like such an unapproachable subject, particularly in Africa where people are just, so positive about industry. I’m very keen to support smaller businesses, which are more hands-on and about organic growth.

They talk about the millennials having an approach, which is maybe more earth-friendly?

I certainly hope so. I think that Africa has a deep-set wisdom. We’ve grown up understanding the concept of the circle of life, which I don’t think people abroad have maybe taken on as much as we have. As I mentioned earlier in my speech today, the Bushmen weren’t naïve in their thinking of not building house. It was a deep-set conscious choice to tread lightly on the earth. Now, if you look at the rest of the world, they’re trying to emulate that and get to that point. They say that Copenhagen’s the greenest city in the world. I highly doubt that if you look at Africa. We need to really, try to preserve what we currently have and not make the mistakes that the rest of the world has made in terms of industry.

What about ten or 15 years’ time, when you look back? What legacy would you like to leave?

I am conscious of the fact that I’m always learning and I can’t predict where I’ll be in ten or 15 years. I can predict where I’d like to see Africa. I think I’d like to be a part of that. I’d like to be able to say that I was a part of Africa’s trade becoming more localised. It’s currently very low and I’d like to see all the brands that I work with being able to support themselves by selling to other Africans and that’s just in the fashion world. I think the same should be said in food and beverage (hotel industries) across the board.

Big opportunities?

I think they’re huge opportunities if Africans work together. That’s why events like the World Economic Forum in Africa is so important because I think whilst people come to loggerheads with the government; on the ground – people of my age, especially – want to work together and want to see Africa prosper in an organic and holistic way.

 

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