Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted.
Hlumelo Nyaluza, founder of the HN Luxury brand, knows this firsthand.
His African luxury bag brand lost millions of rands over five months because of a comma error in the e-commerce website’s pricing code.
Nyaluza is originally from Phakamisa, a small township near King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape. He now lives in Soweto, Gauteng. He described his journey as “far from ordinary”.
“At 12 years old, I discovered my purpose of empowering people through my imagination. At 13 years old, I lost my mother to cancer. I dropped out of university twice and spent over 14 years unemployed,” Nyaluza said.
“Yet, today, I stand proud to introduce HN luxury bags, a world-exclusive African luxury bag brand with a registered design, real fine art and a mission to create jobs for African artisans: woodworkers, fine artists and master leather craftsmen.”
He began working on the bags in July last year.
“I first registered a company called HN Imaginations Mall that would sell all of my imagination in product form. I was thinking about which product to release first when I had a design of a bag that makes the hand disappear when it is held. It included real fine art from a dream.”
Nyaluza raised funds from investors through a Facebook post and registered the design. After 22 failed samples, he produced the final version with the help of a French-trained African craftsman.
“I then added more designs. I hinted at the bags’ release in February and officially released them around March this year. I’ve always loved fashion. It helped me feel my mother after she passed away, as I would cut her clothes, reimagine them and resew them.”
After the official release, the bags went international.
“Media coverage came from New York, Mexico, London, Australia, the Middle East, Miami and more. I was invited to showcase the bags at Hamptons Fashion Week, America’s billionaires’ playground. Producers of television shows even approached me.”
Despite the exposure, sales did not follow.
“Last weekend, after burying my best friend of 18 years in the Eastern Cape, I realised that I needed to check the prices,” Nyaluza explained.
“I hadn’t made a single sale in six months. When I looked at the website, I realised that the developers had made a mistake. It was our fault as well. We should have proofread the prices. My focus has been on the text content.”
He added a personal context to the discovery.
“The last time I went home was December 2023. I had financial issues, so I couldn’t visit often. After my friend’s funeral, I bought flowers for my late mother. This year marks 20 years without her.”
“I spoke to her and asked for guidance on what might be harming my brand. When I returned to Johannesburg and checked the website, something clicked. As an IT university dropout, I finally realised the pricing format was wrong.”
The error, Nyaluza said, involved misplaced commas.
“For instance, if a bag costs R19,5K, they wrote it as R19,500,00. The system reads it as R1,950,000. I contacted the web developers immediately to fix it.”
“At one point, nearly 8,000 people clicked the Buy Now button, but no sales went through, even for our most affordable luxury bag, Africa’s first bulletproof bag.”
He added that the bulletproof bag had more than 800,000 views in two days but no sales.
“All other bags were making international headlines, but still, no sales. The error cost me between R1.3 million and R26 million to date.”
Nyaluza is now focused on recovering and expanding the brand.
“I want to raise funds to bounce back. Instead of asking for handouts, I’m opening an opportunity for people to invest between R5,000 and R40,000. To support this, I created custom-made car carpets for HN believers.”
“People who believe in HN can own a product and help us get back on track. Each set sells for R1,650 and is delivered nationwide.”
View this post on Instagram
He explained the broader plan.
“An agency that distributes billion-dollar luxury brands wants to help HN Luxury reach stores in 150 countries. They believe that the brand is the African answer to Hermes. We are just R40,000 away from expanding globally. That’s why I created the carpets to raise funds.”
Nyaluza shared his long-term vision.
“My ultimate goal is to build a billion-rand empire that will invest in African talent and create jobs. We aim to change that and help other people achieve their dreams.”
He reflected on the lessons from his experience.
“Entrepreneurship is about persistence, problem-solving and learning from mistakes. The comma error nearly destroyed the brand, but it also taught me the importance of detail and oversight.”
Despite the setbacks, Nyaluza’s brand continues to gain attention.
“We are positioned to expand internationally, bring African craftsmanship to the world and offer products with artistic and cultural value. We are creating opportunities through this brand and building something that can last beyond us.”
