Country of Residence
South Africa
Age
19
Project title
TitanXx
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
TitanXx is a purpose-driven brand built to serve and inspire whilst committing a portion of its future revenue to fight poverty for economically marginalized communities in South Africa.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://titanx-4.creator-spring.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAb21jcAU13HFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAafxcBBzgSA8wVDw6H75Y4_cJVE6vaKfxzODshVt2YtIj0Mmrw_ycrwMtW5Rtg_aem_Gm3_qy2fRg31MJ5NZqZJUA
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My spark came from walking through my own community in Cape Town. I saw two realities side by side - young people like me who love premium athletic wear and want to look and feel confident, and families struggling to afford their next meal. I asked myself, why can't one solve the other? I have always loved quality athletic wear, but I realized clothing can be more than style - it can be a tool for change. That was my aha moment. TitanXx could kill two birds with one stone: provide high-quality, premium athletic wear that empowers people to feel strong and confident, while using a portion of every sale to feed the economically marginalized to make a meaningful social impact. We started TitanXx not just as a brand, but as a purpose. Every piece sold means someone else gets a food parcel . That connection between confidence and compassion is what made me believe this idea is worth pursuing.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
In my community in Cape Town and across South Africa, poverty is not just statistics, it is families who go to bed hungry every night. Economic marginalization means lack of food, lack of opportunity, and lack of dignity. For many, daily survival takes priority over dreams. At the same time, young people want to express confidence and strength through what they wear, but premium athletic wear is often unaffordable or lacks purpose beyond fashion. TitanXx addresses both problems. The problem is twofold: hunger and hopelessness in impoverished communities, and a market full of brands that sell style without social responsibility. This matters to me because I have seen both sides. I cannot ignore hunger while building a brand. Solving it matters because when we feed someone, we restore hope, and when we give someone quality wear, we restore confidence.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
TitanXx solves this through a buy-to-feed model. We design and sell high-quality, premium athletic wear through our online store, TitanXx and commit a portion of every sale to providing food for economically marginalized communities. How it works is that a customer purchases a TitanXx hoodie, t-shirt or workout set. That purchase automatically triggers our impact fund. We pool a percentage of revenue and convert it into food parcels and meals distributed to families in need in Cape Town and surrounding areas. We keep the model transparent and community-based. We aim to partner with local food suppliers and community organizations to ensure the food reaches those who need it most. We also document and share the impact with our customers, so they see the direct result of their purchase. Unlike traditional brands, TitanXx wants to give customers both confidence and purpose. They get premium athletic wear that is durable, stylish, and performance-ready, while also becoming part of a movement fighting hunger. Every product sold is both a step toward self-empowerment and a meal for someone else.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
TitanXx is still at an early stage, but we have already started creating impact. We have developed prototypes of our premium athletic wear and built our online store to bring the vision to life. The act of creating the brand itself has sparked conversations in my community about using business as a tool to fight poverty, inspiring other young people to think beyond profit. We recently pitched TitanXx at the Founders pitch finale hosted by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation . Although we did not receive funding, we received valuable feedback, validation, and encouragement. People connected deeply with the buy-to-feed model and the idea that fashion can feed families. That feedback confirmed that the market wants purpose-driven brands. Our projected impact is clear: For every item sold, we aim to provide a food parcel for a family in need. As we grow, we will track meals provided, families supported, and community partnerships formed. Even at this stage, TitanXx is building awareness, creating momentum, and proving that a small idea from Cape Town can have a big impact on hunger.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes TitanXx different is that we are not just a clothing brand and we are not just a charity as we merge both into one sustainable model. Most athletic wear brands focus only on style and profit, with no direct impact on poverty. Most feeding programs rely solely on donations and are not self-sustaining. TitanXx is innovative because it kills two birds with one stone: customers get premium, durable, confidence-boosting athletic wear, and simultaneously fund food for economically marginalized communities through a built-in buy-to-feed model. Our innovation is also in transparency and community. We are youth-led from Cape Town, rooted in the community we serve. Customers don't just donate blindly - they wear the mission. Every piece of TitanXx represents a meal provided. We also plan to track and share our impact directly with customers, creating a loop of trust, style, and social change that other brands do not offer.
How many people are on your team?
2
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I, Sisonke Hlongwane, am the founder and lead on vision, brand design, product development, and community partnerships. My co-founder supports with operations, marketing, online store management, and customer engagement. We share leadership equally through open communication, joint decision-making, and dividing tasks based on strength. As we grow, we plan to add volunteers for distribution and marketing.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, my focus is to move TitanXx from prototype to full launch and measurable impact. In the next 3 months, we will finalize our premium athletic wear samples, launch our first full collection on our online store, and begin active marketing on social media to build our customer base. Over the next 12 months, we plan to: 1) Partner with local food suppliers and community organizations in Cape Town to create a reliable food distribution channel 2) Sell our first 500 units and use a portion of revenue to provide at least 50 food parcels to families in need 3) Build transparency by tracking and sharing every meal provided 4) Grow our team with volunteers for outreach and marketing 5) Seek mentorship and micro-funding to scale production. Our goal is to prove that a purpose-driven brand from Cape Town can be both profitable and impactful, turning every sale into hope for someone else.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
We encourage people to join TitanXx by making the mission visible and personal. We share our story through community and networking events and through our online store which is still under development showing that every purchase directly provides food for families in need. We use real stories from my community in Cape Town to help people understand the reality of hunger and how small actions can create big change. We also invite people to be part of the movement, not just as customers but as ambassadors, volunteers, and partners. In the future, I plan to host community pop-ups, campus activations, and impact storytelling where customers can see the families they have helped. By wearing TitanXx, people can become walking advocates for the cause. The brand itself starts conversations about poverty, purpose-driven business, and how fashion can feed communities.
