The brand is set to open its third store in the country at Mimosa Mall in the City of Roses on Thursday 15 June 2023. Founder and Head designer, Thatiso Dube, said he started making T-shirts for his friends in 2008 while in high school. While the T-shirts were only meant for his friends, some of the schoolmates started wanting them and that is how the brand was born.

“In 2012, I decided to launch the brand to the public after dropping out of university. One other thing is I had to prove to my parents that this will work so I had to make it work,” added Dube.

His very first store opened in 2014 in Hatfield, Pretoria, but closed down three years later because it was not managed well at the time. “The first store did very well until 2017 when we had to close down. The reason for the closure was none of us knew how to run a business. We knew how to make and sell clothes,” he explained. It was just before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic when the brand established their online store, which is one of the reasons why they are popular today.  “When we opened the online store, we had to start from the beginning, selling T-shirts only. Then we moved to accessories and other clothing items. This has led to us where we are today in 2023, opening our third store in a different province,” stated Dube.

                           Galxboy's founder and Head designer, Thatiso Dube. PHOTO: Supplied 

When asked about the reason for the first store out of Gauteng to be opened in Bloemfontein, he explained that most of their purchases made online are delivered to Bloemfontein. Dube also revealed that according to their social media statistics most users who tag the brand are based in Bloemfontein. “As Galxboy we have a goal to expand outside of South Africa in the future, and since Bloemfontein is on the borders of Lesotho, we thought this could be a great opportunity.” At the Mimosa Mall Store, five people will be employed. The brand as a whole employs at least 40 people. “The brand is in heavy demand, so we are trying to spread our wings all over the country. I do believe a store in Bloemfontein will help with the demand. We are excited to learn the culture of Bloemfontein, build on it and also create our own culture,” concluded Dube.

Mimosa Mall Manager, Neelofar Issa, said they are excited to welcome the brand to the family. “We have seen a huge excitement across social media about the opening of the store. We are very confident that it is going to be a successful opening and journey,” she said. She stated it is one of the many brands that cannot be found anywhere else in the Free State. “Galxboy prides itself on modern aspirations of the youth of the country and in many ways, Mimosa Mall does too.” She added that the centre is not affected by load-shedding as they are powered by generators.

The leasing manager, Relebogile Mogotsi, explained that they have seen a growth in brands that draw their inspiration from the youth of the country wanting to open a store at Mimosa Mall. “We are seeing more aesthetic brands coming into the market and I think in a way, this is evident that the youth of the country has the buying power, and this is the age group that often overlooks the retail sector.” He concluded that as Mimosa Mall, they are very proud to serve the young consumers in the area.  

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