• Handmade in Gugulethu · Free delivery in South Africa over R1 500
GUGULETHU · CAPE TOWN · SINCE 2014

African prints, set in leather.

Handcrafted bags and accessories from a workshop that trains the neighbourhood it stands in.
WORK WITH US
GUGULETHU · CAPE TOWN · SINCE 2014

African prints, set in leather.

Handcrafted bags and accessories from a workshop that trains
the neighbourhood it stands in.

WORK WITH US

The Founders

Two paths, one workshop

Abass Maazu

CO-FOUNDER & DESIGNER

Abass trained in leather craftsmanship in Ghana, mastering the techniques behind premium handcrafted goods. He designs and makes every piece himself, and trains young people from the township beside his workbench — cutting, stitching, finishing, and building a line of their own.
Thuleka Duze

Co-owner & Inspirator

A former flight attendant, Thuleka drew her inspiration from travelling across West Africa, where she found the textiles, the artistry and the heritage that give the brand its voice. Together they built something that is authentically African in design, exceptional in quality and social in purpose.
More than a brand. A social enterprise proving that commercial success and community impact belong in the sameworkshop.

Ehere We Come Form

Born in Gugulethu

Gugulethu is a township known for its resilience, its entrepreneurial spirit and its cultural heritage. That is where ATG EKASI began, and where it still makes everything it sells.
Every product carries a story of craftsmanship, opportunity and the belief that a business should create lasting value for the people it serves.

ATG EKASI was founded in 2014 by Abass Maazu and Thuleka Duze with
one clear mission: to show what African craftsmanship can do, and to create
real work in Gugulethu while doing it.

Moving production to a low-cost country would have been the obvious route. We chose the other one — invest in local talent, keep traditional skills alive, and strengthen our own community.

We stayed

The Choice We Made

We work closely with local leather artisans, tailors and craftspeople, so traditional skills pass to a younger generation while sustainable work and entrepreneurship grow around them.
For many of the team, this is not only an income. It is dignity, growth, stability and a future worth planning for. Next, we are building a training centre where young people learn leather craftsmanship free of charge, and go on to start businesses of their own.
FOUNDED
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MADE IN GUGULETHU
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CONTINENTS SERVED
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The craft is the point. The people are the reason.

OUR PEOPLE

Awards
  • Business with the Most Potential.
  • Formal recognition from the
    Parliament of the Western Cape, for entrepreneurship and job creation
Seen at
  • Design Indaba, Africa’s premier
    design festival
  • Pan African Market, Long Street, Cape Town
Partners
  • Cape Town Fashion Council
  • Cape Craft & Design Institute
  • Small Business Academy University of Stellenbosch Business School
In the press
  • News24 / TrueLove Magazine
  • VISI Magazine
  • Good Things Guy

Backed, awarded, and out in the world

RECOGNITION

Our customers now reach well beyond South Africa — clients in Spain and the United Kingdom, and thousands of international visitors to Cape Town. The mission has not moved an inch: create opportunity through African craftsmanship, and keep investing in the community where it all began.
Abass Maazu and Thuleka Duze are building a future in which African talent is recognised worldwide, and business is a catalyst for lasting social change.

Growing outward, rooted where we started

WHERE WE ARE GOING

atgekasi.com
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Every bag carries a skilled artisan, a job that stayed home, and a family with more room to breathe.