Entrepreneur and Founder of LOURO, Cikida Gcali-Mabusela is redefining what modern luxury looks like through her South African leather bag brand. Inspired by motherhood, identity and the realities of women navigating multiple roles, LOURO was created to bridge the gap between style, functionality and purpose
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela shares the story behind the brand, the personal experiences that shaped her entrepreneurial journey, and her vision for African luxury on the global stage.
GLAMOUR: What inspired you to start your bag line Louro and how did the journey begin?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: LOURO is a brand for those who refuse to lose their identity. Life has many transitions and my journey of transition which inspired this brand was becoming a mother.
During my maternity leave with both my babies, I enjoyed going out for brunch with friends or joining a community of new mothers who met once a week. As a new mom, it was great to be out and start socialising with adults again once I could. What I noticed was how the “baby bag” which I had to carry in these outings was actually not for the baby at all, but for the parent who uses it. However, most bags in the market are styled and designed as though the baby would be using them.
The bags available felt like you had to sacrifice your identity. They were either very utilitarian baby bags, or extremely feminine, or just not something you’d want to carry into a meeting or a dinner. My husband and I felt there was a gap for a bag that respected all parts of your identity: the parent, ambitious professional, friend, sibling and everything in between. So LOURO was born out of this simple idea: what if we could design essentials that didn’t make you feel like you’d lost yourself? We then designed a bag that works for parenting, the transition we were navigating at the time but still feels like something you’d proudly carry into a boardroom, onto a plane, or to a weekend brunch.
GLAMOUR: Who is Cikida Gcali-Mabusela beyond the brand and what experiences shaped your path as an entrepreneur?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: Beyond the brand I’m a faith-driven leader. I come from a humble background with parents who valued hard work and education, rooted in Christianity.
Both my parents have shaped my career and life choices in different ways. From my father I learned style, structure and confidence. His nickname was “Tip-Top” as he has always been into style and still is at the age of 76. He taught me the power of showing up confidently and always being over-prepared for any opportunity.
From my mother I learned how to redefine ambition and motherhood. My mother worked throughout my life and always challenged herself to achieve more and push boundaries even with two young kids. She has a ruthless work ethic and I get my grit and determination from her. She also quit her job, in a senior position as deputy principal at a high school, when my sister and I were young to venture into business. I draw a lot of my inspiration from her as a mother navigating ambition.
GLAMOUR: What does the name LOURO mean to you and what story does the brand represent?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: LOURO comes from the laurel, which means “a symbol of victory.”
For us, it’s about the quiet victories of modern life; doing work you love while being present for the people you love. That’s the life we design for. It is a brand designed for those who live with intention, ambition, and style.
GLAMOUR: How would you describe the Louro woman and what kind of confidence do you hope she feels when carrying your bags?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: This brand is for modern South Africans leading full lives. South African professionals today are not shrinking. They are building careers, businesses, ministries and communities, some whilst raising families with intention. They are global in outlook but deeply local in identity and we want them to feel confident and secure in their identity and self-expression when using our bags. LOURO reflects that duality.
It is designed for those who refuse to choose between ambition and presence; the executive who leaves a boardroom and goes to a school play, or the creative who builds something meaningful while transitioning into the world of business in a complex world. South African professionals today are resilient, aspirational and quietly powerful. LOURO mirrors that energy: structured, refined and capable, without losing warmth or humanity.
GLAMOUR: What inspires the designs and creativity behind your LOURO collections?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: The designs are inspired by timeless elegance. There’s also a strong influence from African craftsmanship and materials. We work with beautiful pebble-grain leather sourced locally, and I’m very intentional about creating pieces that feel structured and quietly luxurious. The goal is for the bag to feel like a companion in someone’s life, not just an accessory. We ensured that the materials inside the bag feel good to the touch and look aesthetically pleasing. The compartments are accommodating to a multi-dimensional lifestyle without compromising sophistication.
GLAMOUR: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when launching LOURO and how did you overcome them?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: The hardest part was moving from an idea to a real product. Luxury products demand a lot more precision: the leather, the hardware, the stitching, the proportions. Getting all those details right took a lot of iteration. We also made the decision early on to manufacture locally in South Africa, which we’re incredibly proud of, but it does add complexity when you're starting from scratch. So the challenge was balancing three things at once: creating a beautiful product, building reliable local manufacturing, and launching a brand people had never heard of before. But that process also shaped our standards from the very beginning.
GLAMOUR: How do you balance style, functionality, and quality when designing your bags?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: For me, those three things cannot exist separately, they have to work together from the very beginning of the design process.
Functionality starts with real life. I think about how people actually move through their day: work meetings, travel, laptops, unexpected moments — and add children to that mix. Every pocket, zip and compartment needs to serve a purpose.
Style is the artistic layer — making every functional attribute feel effortless in its placement and use. Every compartment which we innovatively designed is sleek, and that is by design.
Quality is about the materials and the craft. We made sure not to compromise on these two elements. This is especially important as some global luxury brands have receded in their quality standards in lieu of profits and scale. We are taking the opposite approach, producing in small batches to ensure the highest quality standards.
GLAMOUR: Why do you think it is important for African entrepreneurs and designers to be visible in the global fashion space?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: Africa has always had extraordinary creativity, craftsmanship and cultural depth, but for a long time the global fashion narrative hasn’t fully reflected that. Visibility matters because it shifts perception. When African designers show up confidently on the global stage, it challenges outdated ideas and shows that luxury, innovation and excellence can come from anywhere — including here.
It’s also about ownership of our stories. As African entrepreneurs, we have the opportunity to build brands that reflect our lives, our values and our aesthetics in a way that hasn’t always been represented before. For me, LOURO is part of that conversation, showing that African brands can create products that are globally relevant while still deeply rooted in where they come from.
Local luxury brands are critical in shaping how a nation sees itself. For too long, luxury has been associated with Europe or the US. When a South African brand produces something world-class, it shifts the narrative from “we consume global excellence” to “we create global excellence.” That builds cultural confidence.
Having lived in the USA for a few years, I noticed that the country is prominent globally because of the power of the brands it exports. Building a local brand with significance globally is really the ambition for me.
Crafting LOURO locally is about more than geography. It’s about capability. South Africa has exceptional artisans, leather suppliers and manufacturing skills. When we produce locally, we are investing in that ecosystem and proving that precision and refinement live here. For us, local production isn’t a marketing angle. It’s a statement of belief in South African excellence.
GLAMOUR: What advice would you give to young women who dream of starting their own fashion or lifestyle brands?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: One lesson we learned early is that a product alone doesn’t sell itself. You can design something beautiful, but if you don’t tell the story clearly — why it exists and who it’s for, people won’t fully understand the value. So we’ve become much more intentional about storytelling and brand communication. That’s been a big growth moment for us.
GLAMOUR: What is your vision for the future of LOURO and what exciting things can we look forward to?
Cikida Gcali-Mabusela: I look forward to LOURO being a global luxury brand rooted in Africa. You can expect more physical retail presence from us in the near future, along with some exciting partnerships that will continue expanding the brand’s reach.
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