The Inspiring Journey of Tinotenda "Hatiperi" Matayi - From College Dropout to Fashion Icon He sta...
The Inspiring Journey of Tinotenda "Hatiperi" Matayi - From College Dropout to Fashion Icon
He started with $50 and a dream in a car boot. Now, Tinotenda Matayi, the mastermind behind the ubiquitous "Hatiperi" brand, is opening retail stores and employing families, proving that resilience is the ultimate currency.
From Personal Loss to a Powerful Mantra
Life took an unexpected and harsh turn for Matayi in 2017. At just 17 years old, he lost his mother. As the only boy and the last born in a family of three, with his sisters already married, he found himself suddenly alone in the world. This forced independence became the crucible in which his character was forged.
The word "Hatiperi" (We don't perish) wasn't just a clever marketing slogan; it was a personal mantra. It was the phrase he whispered to himself to gather strength when the odds seemed insurmountable.
Before fashion, Matayi pursued a practical path. He enrolled at HEXCO for electrical engineering, hoping to secure a stable future. However, during his industrial attachment in Mutare, digging trenches for cables under the scorching sun, he had an epiphany.
"I realized this manual labor wasn't for me," he shared. He recalled his days at Cherutombo High School where he was the best student in Fashion and Fabrics, despite dropping the subject due to peer pressure from being the only boy in the class. The trenches of Mutare pushed him back to his first love: design.
Building a Brand from Scratch
Unlike many established designers, Matayi's path wasn't paved with formal training or angel investors. Fueled by an innate passion, he scraped together $50 from side hustles to order his first batch of plain t-shirts. A friend designed the now-iconic infinity logo, and Hatiperi was born.
The start was rocky; his first order was delayed for months due to COVID-19 lockdowns. But when the stock finally arrived, the message of resilience resonated deeply with a Zimbabwean populace also struggling through the pandemic.
From selling clothes out of a backpack, Hatiperi has grown into a registered private limited company employing 10-15 people. Matayi recently made headlines by reinvesting all his profits—approximately $8,000—into a state-of-the-art industrial embroidery machine, favoring business infrastructure over personal luxuries like a Mercedes Benz.
A Voice for Change: The Social Media Maverick
Hatiperi's influence extends far beyond trendy apparel. He has become a prominent, often controversial, voice on Twitter (X). Utilizing the "Zimbabwean Lives Matter" wave to gain initial traction, he now engages in critical conversations about Zimbabwean arts and culture.
He is unapologetic in his opinions, famously ranking Jah Prayzah as Zimbabwe's number one artist based on statistics and international collaborations, a stance that often sparks heated debates with Winky D fans.
His honesty has come at a cost. Matayi revealed that his working relationship with rapper Holy Ten ended after he offered constructive criticism online, leading to him being blocked. Despite this, he maintains that honesty is key to his brand identity. "I speak facts, and sometimes facts ruffle feathers," he notes.
A Beacon of Hope for the Next Generation
Matayi credits his success to his Seventh Day Adventist faith and a sober lifestyle. After succumbing to peer pressure and drinking alcohol during his college years, he made a conscious decision to quit and focus entirely on his vision. "I'm playing the long game," he says, explaining his frugal lifestyle.
Hatiperi is not stopping at fashion. He has launched Coral Soft, a tissue manufacturing brand, aiming to dominate the FMCG sector with affordable, quality local products. His message—"PUT GOD FIRST & NEVER GIVE UP. In God HATIPERI!"—serves as a potent reminder that even the most challenging beginnings can blossom into extraordinary success.
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