Our Story

In 2016, we left corporate work to begin a journey of creating something meaningful with our

own hands. That journey first took us to Bushbuckridge, where the Mashile family opened

their leather workshop to us and allowed us to use their equipment while we taught ourselves how to make bags and accessories.

With our newly developed skills, we moved to Hazyview, where Nick managed In-Da-Belly

at Perry’s Bridge. It was there that we sold our products directly to customers for the first

time, many of whom were travellers. Two visitors from Germany, Chris and Michael, heard

our story and bought us our very first sewing machine.

We later returned to our family home in Kabokweni and continued selling at markets in

White River. Through one of those markets, we met the owners of Casterbridge Lifestyle

Centre, who offered us a space where we could both work and sell our products. From that

small shop in Mpumalanga, Nic & Nic bags travelled home with customers from across the world.

On 7 January 2020, we closed the shop with plans to travel South Africa through markets and

festivals. After only one market in Johannesburg, the country entered lockdown and our plans changed completely.

In December 2020, with the support of the late Chief Tikhontele Dlamini and the local community, we were given the opportunity to purchase one hectare of land overlooking Shiyalongubo Dam in the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This land became the home of our family, our workshop and the next chapter of Nic&Nic. Today, we employ and train residents from the surrounding rural community, passing on the same skills we once taught ourselves. What began with borrowed equipment and one sewing machine now supports seven families and counting.

Ten years later, our story continues through every product made, every skill shared and every life connected to the work of our hands.