Johannesburg– For years, Drip Footwear stood as one of South Africa’s biggest success stories, a homegrown sneaker brand born from the township streets and carried into the mainstream by its ambitious founder, Lekau Sehoana.
But after meteoric growth, headlines about liquidation and unpaid staff followed. Now, after months of silence, Sehoana is speaking out about what really happened to his once-booming empire. Speaking on The Relebogile Mabotja Podcast, Sehoana opened up about his journey, the rise and fall of the Drip Group, and why he believes his story is far from over.
“I’m good. I took a year off from the fashion space, just focusing on other things. But I’m doing well,” he said, breaking his silence with calm confidence.
Born in Limpopo in 1988, Sehoana grew up in Alexandra and later in Ivory Park, a township he describes as one of the toughest places to live. “Growing up there made me want something different. I didn’t want that life for my family,” he said.
By Grade 8, he was already designing and sewing sneakers using old denim and recycled materials, a skill his grandmother insisted he learn after refusing to fix his torn school trousers. “That’s how I started creating,” he recalled.
After years of small business ventures, Sehoana returned to his passion for sneakers and founded Drip Footwear in 2019. Inspired by urban slang, he chose the word “Drip” to symbolise style, confidence, and identity.
“I saw that ‘drip’ was trending, meaning to be fashionable,” he said. “We come up with these words, so why not own them?”
The brand quickly became a cultural phenomenon, expanding into more than 25 retail stores nationwide. Sehoana later diversified under the Drip Group, launching Kiddies Republic, Fish and Chips, and Domain Jeans.
But as the company grew rapidly, challenges began to pile up particularly with import and compliance issues involving the South African Revenue Services and South African Reserve Bank.
“We had issues with forex payments and paperwork when importing stock,” he explained. “It was just one small issue, but it had big consequences. Without stock, you can’t trade.”
With frozen accounts and delayed payments, operations slowed down, forcing the company to scale back. “I was trying to patch holes instead of steering the ship,” Sehoana admitted.
He also addressed the controversy surrounding the company’s liquidation. “Liquidation isn’t about running away,” he said. “It’s a legal process when a business can’t pay its debts. Everything is handled by a liquidator our goal was to make sure employees got paid first.”
Despite the setbacks, Sehoana remains proud of what he achieved and hopeful about what’s to come.
“Drip wasn’t just my dream it was other people’s too. We made people believe that a township boy could build something big,” he said.
When asked if he plans to make a comeback, he smiled and replied: “Fashion is still in my blood. I’m not done yet.”
A year after his previous business was liquidated, Lekau Sehoana has launched a new sneaker brand called Kite.
“Kite is more than just a brand to me, it’s a testament to the power of perseverance. It’s a reminder that our struggles shape us and our triumphs define us,” said Sehoana
The new brand is called Kite, which the businessman said is inspired by childhood memories of playing with a kite.
“One of the things I found was just us spending the whole day building kites and running around the hood,” he said in a post.
“One of the things about a kite is, if you don’t build it right it never takes off. You have to also run so fast against the wind while releasing the string to get it high up there. A process that is beautiful and refreshing once you get it right.”
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