Sneaker culture has grown from a niche interest into a genuine status symbol, and South African entrepreneur Jo Farah built a global business by recognising that shift early. He founded Sneaker LAB in 2013, and the company, now trading as The Lab, has since expanded into international collaborations with major sneaker and fashion brands.
Spotting a gap in the market
Farah returned to South Africa from the United States in 2008 and went into business with two friends running a streetwear store in Cape Town, working closely with well-known sneaker brands and retailers. That experience revealed a genuine gap: no branded, environmentally friendly sneaker care products existed on the market, despite growing demand.
Building a genuinely sustainable product
Sneaker LAB’s biotechnology formulas use bacteria and enzymes to accelerate nature’s own cleaning process. The products are water-based, readily biodegradable, and the packaging is designed to be recycled. This sustainability focus became the brand’s chief differentiator, not an afterthought bolted on later.
Retail partnerships did the heavy lifting
Local retail partnerships, including with The Foschini Group’s Sportscene, were instrumental in the brand’s early growth, giving Farah the retail experience and consumer reach needed to later expand into international markets and retail experiences in cities including Johannesburg and Los Angeles.
Telling an authentically African brand story
Farah has said that people respond to the story of a proudly South African brand succeeding internationally, and that authenticity became part of the product’s appeal well beyond its cleaning function. Sustainability and story-telling, not just the product itself, are what carried the brand from a local start-up into international sneaker and fashion collaborations.
Frequently asked questions
What made Sneaker LAB different from existing sneaker care products?
It was the first branded, environmentally friendly option in a market previously dominated by generic, non-branded cleaning products, built around biodegradable, water-based formulas.
How important were local retail partnerships to Sneaker LAB’s global expansion?
Very. Partnerships with major local retailers gave the brand the retail experience and market reach it needed before expanding into international markets and collaborations.
Does sustainability actually matter to consumers buying sneaker care products?
For this brand, yes. Its environmentally friendly positioning became a genuine differentiator, not just a marketing angle, and has remained central to its identity as it scaled internationally.
A niche product, built for the long term
Sneaker LAB’s growth from a Cape Town start-up into international brand collaborations shows how a genuinely sustainable, well-told product story can carry a niche business far beyond its original market.
Further reading: Top Black Women-Owned Businesses in South Africa | Department of Trade, Industry and Competition for official small business export support information
Originally published in May 2019. Updated September 2026 to confirm Sneaker LAB’s continued global growth under its current name, The Lab. The founding story and strategy remain the same.
