“These Are So Cool”: Petroleum Engineering Graduate Makes Custom Nike Rugs, Talent Impresses Mzansi

• A petroleum engineering graduate turned heads online when he showed off his custom Nike rugs
• The gentleman spoke to Briefly News to explain why and how he entered the rug-making industry
• Social media users headed for the comment section to share their interest and shower the man with compliments

A young man left netizens stunned when he showed off various Nike-inspired rugs he made.

Starret Maphosa, a full-time rug tufter and owner of Ubuntu Rugz, took to his business's TikTok account (@ubunturugz) to show viewers some of his creations. The rugs, which gave a nod to the popular American brand, mimicked a shoebox, while others took on the form of classic shoe styles.

Take a look at Starret's rug designs in the video below:

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Rug tufter talks business

Speaking to Briefly News, Starret shared that he got into the rug-making business after he obtained his engineering degree in China in July 2022.

He stated:

"I came back home and got little to no luck in finding employment in my field. So, I started my rug-making business one year after graduation."

He added that while at university, he attended a tufting workshop for recreational purposes.

"I liked it enough and wanted to start but never had the time or funds to get started."

With Ubuntu Rugz celebrating a year of its existence, Starret shared how his business has affected him financially so far:

"It basically feeds itself in a repetitive cycle, and I haven’t found a way to make significant profits. It’s still in the come-up."

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Netizens impressed with Nike rug designs

Social media users showed interest in the entrepreneur's TikTok video, which has accumulated over half a million views and counting. Many also took to the young man's comment section with queries and messages of awe.

@minenhlemkhize2, who wondered about the price, wrote:

"These are so cool."

@mimitheadvisor admired the creations and commented:

"Beautiful work. I can't wait to get mine."

@busikhayiyana3 added some positivity and shared:

"May God bless your journey. Good work, my brother."

Award-winning artist paints portrait on a fridge

In related artistic news, Briefly News reported about the celebrated artist Ennock Mlangeni, who shared his creation – a portrait painted on a KZN client's fridge.

On his TikTok account (@ennockmart), Ennock took viewers through the process, uploading a sped-up version of himself painting. Standing and sitting as he paints, the talented man uses different shades of brown for the skin tone, black, white, and grey for the woman's doek, and bright blue for the negative space.

Source: Briefly News