If you don't know, get to know: DIEUXENFANTS (DE)
Mwansa Tengenesha - founder, DIEUXENFANTS
Established in 2018, DIEUXENFANTS (DE) is fast becoming one of my favourite brands aiming to offer a unique and diverse range of premium clothing. I had the opportunity to speak to the brand's founder, Mwansa Tengenesha (22) following the release of his latest collection – ‘Grey Skies.’
This one-man team has grown a following within Peterborough (the city that we’re both from), producing high-quality items of clothing. The journey began with the ‘Late Summer Night’ t-shirt, a fan favourite recurring item released every summer since 2019.
In this interview, Mwansa and I discussed his background and his faith. We talked about how these factors have influenced him as well as the impact they’ve had and will have on his brand.
Grey Skies Tracksuit
Who are you, and what is your background?
My name is Mwansa. I'm originally from Zambia but moved to England when I was about two years old. I feel like most people growing up in Peterborough, my life was normal. The city is quite small, so everyone really knew each other, especially if you were of similar cultures, as it's quite a multicultural city. I'm from a sports background. Football dominated my life to the point where I didn't care too much about school as I was trying to make it as a professional. After GCSE, I became more serious about things and decided to go to uni, studying business management. At some point, I said, "no, I can't. I don't think I can do corporate jobs because it is not for me, which led me to start DE.
Was starting your own brand something you've always wanted to do?
It was never like that. I never thought about doing clothing in my life before DE. The funny thing is my sister, she used to want to do that when she was young.
You mentioned that you're originally from Zambia. How has that influenced you and the brand?
I was pretty young when I came to England and had a little bit of an accent when I was in school; I can hear it when watching old videos. Being from somewhere that isn't the UK, I did experience subtle racism. I'm sure you had a similar experience. But at the time, you don't really think too much about it, you just accept it and keep it moving. Anyway, there were a few kids from different cultures at my school, so for the most part, it was pretty OK. I think I got on well with most people. Because I came here when I was like two, I adapted well. I'm basically English but haven't forgotten my background, I'm a mixture of both cultures, and I'm just happy to be from both. I never forget where I come from and will always put that into everything that I do.
Dieuxenfants translates to God's children in French. What made you go with that name?
Basically, I was looking for a name that sounded decent and sounded nice. For some reason, I was thinking something in French to replicate my background because my family were from Congo before moving to Zambia before I was born. So I have that Congolese element, and the Congolese speak French. I don't know why it came into my head, but God's children just came into my head. I think that was due maybe in growing up in a Christian household, with a Christian family, and I think God wanted me to start this brand and wanted me to give honour to him.
Does your faith play a big part in your brand?
Yes, of course! My faith is who I am, it is a big part of my upbringing and has shaped the person I am today. DIEUXENFANTS is not a strictly Christian brand, the owner (me) is Christian. I want the brand to be for everyone, but I will never shy away or avoid implementing my faith into products to please others. The same way other owners implement their story and personality into their brands. I feel I have a wide range of products some will have some religious influence, some won’t. I want to accommodate for everyone. But being a Christian is who I am, so definitely some products will have that influence. I’ve even seen those products do the best. I really want people to understand that DIEUXENFANTS is something anyone can wear. The name is God’s Children and all of us are ! No matter the background. Me being a Christian shouldn’t make non Christians run away from the brand. You can find relation in other aspects of my story also.
You're 22 now. What's it like being a young business owner, and how has it impacted elements of your life?
When you start a business, you don't really understand the dedication and sacrifices you need to make. There are many mistakes that you make, and there's a lot of pressure, but I feel like it is fun in terms of the challenges you face, but I'm lucky that God has given me the responsibility to run a brand this early. I finished uni knowing what I wanted to do, and that's not always the case. Other people finish uni and don't know what they're doing, but I'm lucky enough to have something there. Even though it's small, I got something, so I'm grateful for that. In terms of impacting elements of my life, I think it's made me realise that I'm going to do all that I can to succeed, whether it's working somewhere I don't want to work on the side to build up my business. When you trust what you're doing, you'll make those sacrifices. There have been times when I've had £3 to my name because I'm investing it all into finding the right manufacturer, samples etc. and of course, mistakes will be made. There's a lot of pressure but being a young business owner is about resilience. You only lose if you give up, this can be the hardest part, especially when you put a product out there and it doesn't do well, but you just have to go again and hope that the next one works because all you only need one big drop but not sit and you could be clear with everything. It's also important to understand that things aren't going to happen overnight, and I have to be patient to get to where I want to go.
What made you start DE?
Sometime in December 2018, I remember seeing my little cousin selling screen printed t-shirts, and I thought I could try and do that for me. I liked some t-shirts at the time, but they cost around £500, so I took inspiration from those t-shirts and created my own version. It wasn't anything serious at the time, the t-shirts I made were just for me, but I kept getting compliments. People were asking where I got them from, and then I said, you know what, maybe I can turn this into a brand. I also pledged that I wanted this brand to impact the world positively and give back, which led me to decide to give back when I could. I recently donated money to a hospital in Zambia to renovate the children's ward, and I hope to do more in the future.
Did you expect your brand to be where it is now when you started?
Because I didn't really plan on starting a brand, and it just kinda happened, I never had any real expectations for where my brand would be at this point. I'm very early in my journey, and to get to where I want to be, I just have to be patient, but the traction is good right now.
What do you expect from your brand in the future?
So five years on, I want my brand to be established and have a reputation for being a high-end luxury brand, but that takes time to get there, so that's what I'm trying to do. I would definitely like to have different lines in terms of menswear, womenswear and childrenswear. I'm working towards a point where in the next five years, everyone would have heard of DE in the same way everyone knows about Trapstar, that kind of level and God willing that will happen. Additionally, I really would like to be in the big department stores like Harrods or Selfridges, but most importantly, I want to be able to help others and be in a position where I can literally dedicate funds so that we can help others or contribute to projects that help communities whether it's here in the UK or in Africa.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to start their own brand?
I would say do not spend any money you make from the business on non-business related things. When DE first started, I thought it was acceptable to do this and sometimes use the profit I made to pay for rent or on nights out. Now I know just how important it is to keep reinvesting the profits made into the business.
Comparison kills. Comparing yourself to other people is very easy. If you're not careful, comparison can kill your dreams because you're looking at what other people are doing. You can get caught up in that to the point of depression. You have to understand that everybody has their own journey, and your progress may be slower than someone else but that time could be important in moulding you into the person you need to be. God can get you to any place in one second it took somebody 20 years to get if you do the right things that God wants you to do. So don't compare yourself and just keep doing what you're doing.
Stay disciplined and get good people around you who can give you good advice and who are not yes men. It's very important to have the right people around you who understand what's right or wrong for the brand and for me.
You got to be willing to do the work in order to get to where you want to be and don't sacrifice on quality along the way. There are times where it may be easier/cheaper to sacrifice on quality, but it's important to stay consistent.
Take some time away from social media as much as possible. I know it can be hard when you're running a brand to stay away from social media because it's a huge part of brand growth, but at the same time, for your mental health, I think it's important to stay away from it for a while to kinda get yourself focused without the distraction of social media.
Finally, is there any brand you want to raise awareness for?
Yes, GCLO. It's my friends brand. We started doing this around the same time, and it's nice to have someone to talk about this stuff. We motivate each other to do well.
Being from Peterborough myself and knowing Mwansa personally means that I've been a fan of DE since their first drop back in 2019. Seeing just how much the brand has grown in the past two years is testament to his character. We spoke about his brand before in the past, but never to this detail. Having a better understanding of what motivates him now and what he aims to do with the brand going forward, I'm positive that he's moving in the right direction, and I wish him the best of luck along the way.
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