Maxhosa Africa became the first South African brand to stage a full runway show on Paris Fashion Week’s official calendar, unveiling a pan-African collection Monday. Creative director Laduma Ngxokolo said he wanted to showcase South Africa’s diversity and business successes.
Maxhosa makes clothes at its own knitting factories in Johannesburg and East London; wool for its knitwear is sourced in the Eastern Cape. Ngxokolo said he aims to boost South Africa’s textile industry and demonstrate that it can produce high-quality luxury goods. The collection included multicoloured knitted labels naming African countries and patterns that echoed traditional Xhosa beadwork.
Ngxokolo said he had planned to bring other African designers to Paris but lacked the resources. He said he felt honoured to be represented and had spent 16 years “fighting to sit at the table”; he described the African continent as still underrepresented.
