WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

John Ebako's Story

I came to CapeTown to earn a living. I wouldn’t say I chose the city directly, but after living in various places I ended up here and thought, ‘why not?’ I stayed for a few reasons, one of them being that I met my wife, a South African. It seemed like a good place to make a life and raise my family. Two of my brothers also joined me here."

I have lived in Ghana and Senegaland Cape Town is a very interesting and impressive city. I enjoy the climate here as Cameroon is tropical and sometimes very uncomfortable, hot and humid. While it’s tough to start a business anywhere, in Cape Town the market is open and it is easy to understand our competitors.

I have always worked with leather when I was in Cameroonmaking hand ban and leather hats and Calvin. I was always fortunate to have many people around who encouraged me to have the vision that I am today.

In 2002 I started working in film industry as a Props and Shoe maker, we did 1000BC, Love in Saigon, Wake of Death, Black Sail and many more.

When we started we sold mostly at Festivals like KKNK, Graham’s town, Karrip Kunsterfeers and many more. Now we are selling on Takealot and many more online shops. We also have our showroom on 165 New Market Street Woodstock. Western Cape

Meticulous craftsmanship and skilled design are synonymous with King Kong’s leather goods, which are becoming highly sought after locally and beyond.

I grow up in an unprivileged community where poverty is leading so I decided to create Kingkong Leather in 2005 with the aim of training unskilled Africans and promoting education in Africa which will eradicate poverty in Africa in due time

The thing I miss most about home is the food – the food in Cameroon is amazing. My favorite dish is ndolé(a vegetable stew mixed with pistachio nuts) and fish; my little girl knows how to make it now. I also miss the people but we are lucky that we have a big community from Cameroon here in Cape Town and we meet up every week.

KingKong Leather was established in 2005, and opened their first small workshopin Woodstock, Capetown.

John & his team of skillful craftsmen produce genuine full grain cowhide leather bags, belts, shoes, furniture, etc.

Today King Kong Leather has a Talented Team of 16 members, supplies a range of department stores around the world and works with multiple film industries and fashion designer's making custom leather good's.

(John at his workshop in Woodstock Cape Town)