South Africa—30 Jan 2026

The South African brothers who founded a clothing empire from their love of adventure

With over 100 store locations across South Africa, Senqu has become a beloved and well-known clothing outlet.

While the prolific clothing stores South Africans know today only began popping up over the last decade, Senqu has existed for much longer than its popular stores.

The brand began through the love of adventure that was shared by two brothers: Tim and Peter Holden.

While Senqu now stocks mostly leisure wear, when it was established, it was a very different business. The Holden brothers had a keen interest in fly fishing when they started the business in 1985.

For its first few years, Senqu sold fly fishing flies made by local Basotho women.

The name, Senqu, was taken from one of the world’s mightiest rivers in the majestic Maluti Mountains, which flows across the subcontinent, and is the headwater of the Orange River.

The Senqu River in Lesetho was a fishing paradise and a favourite among the brothers.

Following its initial success, the business expanded to selling a range of specialised river wear, adding the brand’s now-famous clothing dimension.

The fly-fishing apparel brand continued to go from strength to strength, and throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Senqu began selling clothing through a wholesale model.

Senqu distributed the brand through a limited range carried by small independent retailers and a few national chains.

To appeal to a wider commercial base, the company shifted toward a less specialised focus and looked in 2005, selling adventure and leisure apparel. It followed this with a move away from the wholesale model.

From passion project to national franchise

The Senqu team on a fishing trip in 2011. Photo: Senqu/Facebook.

“We were looking for more independence from our wholesale model,” explained Mark Ely, long-time Deputy Managing Director for Senqu.

“The brand had a few outlet stores at this point for clearing end-of-range products,” he explained. While it was not Senqu’s core business, the response from customers to these stores was extremely positive.

The company then made the decision to close the wholesale division and focus only on direct retail following this.

“The drive behind Senqu has always been to offer a uniquely South African product range that gives our customers excellent value,” said Ely.

“This calling has remained throughout the brand’s evolution,” he explained.

While Senqu no longer only sells flies for fly fishing made by Besotho women, it does ensure that the majority of its products are manufactured locally.

From 2005 to 2015, Senqu was cautious in its expansion and made sure to take its time in opening new stores.

However, in the next era of its journey, the company ramped up its expansion, growing to 70 stores by 2023. By January 2026, the company had 110 Senqu stores.

In 2025, the business celebrated the opening of its 100th store, but took the opportunity to warn the country that the business is “just getting started.”

In 2023, Ely said that Senqu had grown to achieve double-digit annual growth and was on track to continue.

He said that the brand’s success has hinged on staying close to its customers and analysing its products and changing direction based on consumer preferences.

“The heart of our offering is excellent value for money without compromising on quality, and in tough economic times, this appeals to a growing market segment,” Ely said.