In 2021, he launched his sneaker brand, Hibacci. It turned out that the DHL Stormers, player Hacjivah Daymani had been manufacturing his sneakers in China, which didn't sit well with some people. He received backlash after the quality of his sneakers was questioned by people realising he had been manufacturing in China. This led to the brand's downfall and having to go back to the drawing board. The Jewish, son of Igbo-Jewish Nigerian and Xhosa mom returns with a 100 percent proudly South African brand. "We are bigger, better, and even more proud that we have created employment for people back home," Hacjivah tells ZiMoja. 

MADE IN CHINA

When he caught smoke, people hated the fact that they called themselves a local brand but the shoes were made in China. "We were selling so many shoes in a day before our Twitter downfall," he shared after the backlash. "We were importing shoes in small margins at a time after they would sell out to fill the stock. Until came a point where I was like, I can't take it anymore I'm gonna dip into my savings and we going to bring in a sh*t load of shoes. Then bang!! After paying Twitter came after us. As I finished training, I saw my phone had so many Twitter notifications, missed calls, and WhatsApp messages, and then my business partner called me and was like, 'Bro we trending on Twitter at number one for buying stuff from Ali Express and rebranding it!' I wanted to die," he said. "People kept messaging us telling us to give back their money, we had so many returns from people who just bought saying that we were scammers and would threaten us on WhatsApp. I just wanted to die and on the other hand, I'm struggling to clear goods because of covid-19 regulations. We were stuck with a shitload of shoes and no customers. So, we had to take a break from socials. The team I'm playing for isn't picking me up, I've taken a pay cut due to COVID-19, Hibacci customers want their money back and my savings is on red," he added. "The storm cleared, I borrowed money from my guardian, and we started planning the rebirth of the brand We brought in Soles, Lasts, and Moulds. We created a team now we manufacture our shoes in SA, probably the only Black-owned brand that manufactures sneakers in South Africa," he said at the time.

REIMAGINED

On 19 October, Hacjivah and his business partners relaunch the brand of the locally produced luxury sneaker, Hibacci. "The materials are now sourced from across the country, collecting the finest leather from Cape Town and completing manufacturing in a factory the business has partnered with up in Gauteng," Hacjivah says. "We are working with a team of fifteen designers and shoe-makers, which is big for us; coming from the brink of bankruptcy to creating meaningful jobs that improve the livelihoods of citizens. This team is responsible for bringing our vision and shoes to life, ensuring the highest quality of design and production." Hacjivah says there were many reasons for giving up. "It was really looking bleak for a second but we're back, baby! You can't beat the African spirit of resilience that resides in all of us: we've really taken stock, digested the learnings from our first release, cemented our credentials and we're proud of the product that our valued clients will see from Hibacci. I can't wait for them to experience the brand!" Hacjivah concludes.