Ghia Nadel, founder of Sak.Sak. Image supplied
With its playful name, distinctive product personality and proudly local manufacturing model, the South African bag brand is betting that being local can be more than a label — it can be the foundation of a lifestyle brand.
For founder Ghia Nadel, Sak.Sak's identity is rooted in the people behind the products as much as the products themselves. Around 23 people currently work with the business, 98% of whom are single mothers or women caring for their grandchildren.
That makes the brand's "Made in South Africa" proposition about more than its origin. It is about jobs, local textile manufacturing and creating products that give consumers a reason to choose a home-grown brand in a market flooded with inexpensive imports.
“I genuinely believe that if we want to grow our economy, we need to create jobs and support local textile manufacturing instead of relying heavily on imports from countries like China and India,” says Nadel.
“We are building Sak.Sak into a leading South African bag brand, with sustainability at the heart of what we do. For me, buying local isn’t just about where a product is made, it’s about supporting our people, our economy and the future of South African textile manufacturing.”
Competing on more than price
For local fashion and accessories brands, the challenge is particularly pronounced. Consumers have access to inexpensive imported products and global fast-fashion platforms that can operate at a scale local manufacturers cannot easily match.
Nadel says Sak.Sak has therefore chosen to compete on a different set of attributes.
“We want people to see Sak.Sak as a lifestyle brand,” she says. “We have a unique product that I believe South Africans can really connect with.”
Quality, customer service and brand personality form part of that proposition.
“We know we can’t always compete with imported products on price, so we compete on quality, our story and the connection we have with our customers.”
That connection is increasingly important in a market where price remains a significant consideration for consumers.
Giving every bag a personality
Sak.Sak's product names and playful brand personality are another way the business differentiates itself.
Rather than treating the bag simply as a functional accessory, the brand uses South African humour and language to give its products their own identities.
“The names on our bags give each product its own little personality, and I absolutely love that,” says Nadel.
She says one of her favourite brand experiences is watching people encounter Sak.Sak in stores.
“They stop, stare which turns into a smile when they realise what Sak.Sak is all about. That reaction says so much to me. It shows that the brand is fun and different.”
For a relatively young brand, those moments of recognition are important in building familiarity beyond the individual product.
From bag brand to lifestyle proposition
Nadel's ambition extends beyond selling bags.
The longer-term objective is to create a brand that consumers want to return to because they feel connected to it, rather than simply because they need another accessory.
“I think for Sak.Sak, it’s about making people feel like they are part of the journey,” she says.
Quality, customer service, sustainability and the brand's distinctly South African personality are the foundations she believes can help make that transition.
The strategy also reflects an understanding that building a lifestyle brand requires consistency across the customer experience, from the product itself through to how consumers interact with the business.
A consumer caught between value and local pride
Nadel says the South African consumer is increasingly interested in where products come from, but price remains a significant factor given the current economic environment.
“Some South Africans really do care about where their products come from,” she says. “In saying that consumers are currently price sensitive due to what’s happening in our economy.”
That creates a delicate proposition for local brands. Consumers may want to support South African businesses, but they also need products that justify their price through quality, longevity and design.
For Sak.Sak, Nadel believes the intersection of those factors is where the brand has found its opportunity.
“More and more people want to support local, they also want a product that they love and that is going to last. I think that’s where Sak.Sak has found its sweet spot.”
The realities of local manufacturing
Behind the local proposition, however, is a manufacturing environment that Nadel describes as increasingly challenging.
She says the South African textile industry is under pressure, with factory closures threatening jobs and manufacturing capacity.
“I hear almost daily about factories closing down, that is really worrying when you think about the number of jobs that are being lost,” she says.
Nadel believes policy intervention is needed to help local manufacturers compete with low-cost imports, including through higher duties on imported products.
At Sak.Sak, the business has also made a conscious decision to pay employees higher salaries, even though this adds to operating costs.
“We could try to cut costs in that area, but for us, that defeats the purpose of creating meaningful jobs.”
Cash flow presents another challenge. Manufacturing businesses need to purchase materials, pay employees and cover overheads before revenue from those products necessarily returns to the business.
“So yes, manufacturing locally comes with challenges, but I really believe it is worth fighting for,” says Nadel.
“If we want to keep jobs and skills in South Africa, we need to support and protect local textile manufacturing and give small businesses a real chance to grow.”
Making sustainability part of the product
Sustainability is also built into Sak.Sak's approach to production.
The company uses high-quality materials, aims to minimise waste and designs products with longevity in mind.
“I would rather someone buy one good Sak.Sak product that they can use for years,” says Nadel.
The business is also working to increase its use of locally produced raw materials. Its Sap.Sak range, for example, is made from recycled plastic bottles, with the RPET material produced in Durban.
That approach connects the sustainability proposition with the brand's broader local-manufacturing strategy rather than treating environmental considerations as a separate marketing message.
Growing without losing the brand
As demand grows, Nadel is deliberately resisting the pressure to scale at any cost.
She says Sak.Sak has received interest from potential investors but has remained cautious about bringing outside investment into the business.
“I don’t want Sak.Sak to lose the authenticity that makes it special,” she says.
Instead, the business is focused on organic growth at a pace that its production capabilities and team can manage.
“We’re not trying to become a huge business overnight. We want to grow properly, at a pace that we can manage, while making sure we maintain our quality, look after our customers and our staff, and stay true to who we are.”
For Nadel, growth is therefore less about speed and more about maintaining the fundamentals that built the brand.
“It’s not about how quickly we can grow. It’s about growing at the right pace and making sure Sak.Sak still feels like Sak.Sak as we grow.”
Taking a South African bag brand global
Looking beyond Heritage Month, Nadel believes greater support for local manufacturing will be critical if South African fashion and lifestyle businesses are to compete more effectively.
She argues that higher duties on imported fashion and bags could help create a more level playing field for local textile businesses.
For Sak.Sak itself, the ambition is considerably broader than the domestic market.
“Our long-term vision is simple, we want to become South Africa’s most loved bag brand,” says Nadel.
The business believes the brand's design and proposition could translate into international markets, with the longer-term ambition of taking what has been built in South Africa to consumers abroad.
“We believe Sak.Sak has the look, feel to work in international markets. We want to take what we’ve created in South Africa and show the rest of the world what Sak.Sak is all about.”
For now, the focus remains on building sustainably, supporting its workforce and developing a brand that consumers can identify with.
“We’re still growing, and we’re doing it at a pace that works for us, but we have big plans, and there are some very exciting things coming. Watch this space!”
