ENTREPRENEURIAL STARTUP "THE AFRICAN PRINT COMPANY" INVESTS IN HP STITCH TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD A LUXURY HOME FURNISHING AND LIFESTYLE BRAND
“Choosing to purchase their own machinery and not to outsource the manufacture of their products will give them absolute control of their supply chain, removing the requirement for stock. And importantly, giving them the freedom to listen to their consumers and create the designs and products that their loyal customers love.” The African Print Company
Building a business and a new future by investing in design and HP technology
This entrepreneurial husband and wife team, who are new to both Design and Textiles - will soon launch “The African Print Company”.
The availability of uncomplicated digital textile printing equipment and cloud-based design software offered Thabani and Nonomi an exciting opportunity to build a new future and a new business together. Their investment is also an investment that offers them the ability to control and rebalance their working lives. Reflecting on a year in lockdown and the birth of their daughter, they now look forward to building a luxury Designer Homewares and Lifestyle brand together.
Specialising in African textile prints, homeware, furnishings and accessories their luxury brand has just launched online.
With a love of African design and Interiors, the brand will offer a unique collection of printed products, all of which will be printed in-house on the HP Stitch S300 and manufactured onsite.
Initially these will include fabrics, cushions, throws, lampshades and footstools plus Kimono’s and African belts. As the brand gains momentum, they intend to add new products as demand increases, growing the product range organically with the support of their community.
Controlling their supply chain was a fundamental priority when formulating their business plan together.
Choosing to purchase their own machinery and not to outsource the manufacture of their products will give them absolute control of their supply chain, removing the requirement for stock. And importantly, giving them the freedom to listen to their consumers and create the designs and products that their loyal customers love. They intend to trial new products online making singular prototypes (not expensive external samples) and implement customized manufacture and on-demand production from day one.
Working with their unique skill sets, they share the operational aspects of business.
With Nonomi’s eye for design and style, she will focus on the creative elements and the costings (Nonomi is also an accountant) whilst Thabani will concentrate on the logistics: production, sourcing, marketing and operations. Product development is a joint occupation, and Thabani and Nonomi work together to fine tune the finished products before they are offered for sale online. Having print technology at their fingertips onsite makes this process both seamless and speedy. Minor adjustments take minutes not days and products are developed in real time. Together they make the perfect team.
With a new website just launched, Thabani has been busy printing and manufacturing products for photography and marketing. As an online brand their visual identity is a primary focus, as is the quality of their product shots, which highlight their brands style and culture. Bold colours, powerful designs and beautiful fabrics, that include velvet and faux silk, are used in their designer collections.
As a small business choosing the correct technology to support their early growth demanded careful consideration.
Thabani consider alternate technologies before working with the team at RA Smart to decide on the HP Stitch S300. The machine fulfilled their initial requirements and also allowed them to grow their business by adding other products utilising dye sublimation technology.
With no previous design or textile printing experience – ease of use – was an important factor. The HP Stitch offered both high quality printed textiles, and the simplicity of use required for a team - new to print. As an intuitive technology, the HP Stitch delivered a practical solution to the brands print requirements, whilst also ensuring that they had online support for machine maintenance, service and consumables.
Another factor that was of primary importance when choosing technology was the ability to achieve vibrant colours – good colour consistency and accurate colour management. Choosing the HP Stitch dye sublimation system ensured that Thabani and Nonomi’s - bold African colour palette could be achieved across a wide variety of materials and that colour would be consistently maintained on-demand without wasting time, product and energy sampling.
Equipped with the technology to control their own future:
Thabani and Nonomi have an exciting journey ahead. We wish them every success with their new venture – “The African Print Company” and look forward to following their commercial success and watching their designer collections flourish.
Are you interested in seeing for yourself the quality of HP Stitch S300? Request your print sample here and unlock your customers ‘imagination and grow.
