The antibrand: mi-Fone in Africa

By Nadim Nyker

“I don’t really follow the Richard Branson mantra, because they are not in my world. I have got to relate to someone who is kind of coming from my world.” -Alpesh Patel.

In the last six years, the up and coming mogul has sold over 1.5 million mi-Phones to, surprisingly, people who could relate to his (old) world. Alpesh Patel started off as a paper boy in London. And although his consumer market may not be surrounded by mink coats and Yeezy boots, they’re rather subjected to Samsung and iPhone’s starry-eyed marketing and their unattainable price tags.