Heritage month is upon us and it’s usually a time where we reflect, celebrate and embrace our African culture. This year, government has called on South Africans to use the month to foster greater social cohesion, nation building and a shared national identity.
A household name that has consistently embodied and represented our South African heritage through fashion, art and creativity, is internationally recognised knitwear designer, Laduma Ngxokolo.
He joins us today on #TheSitDownRelationships as we get his thoughts on the importance of the fashion industry developing strong relationships across the African continent, why he’s passionate about ploughing back to emerging designers as well as a reflection on 10 years of the MAXHOSA collection.
LADUMA NGXOKOLO
Laduma Ngxokolo is one of Africa’s finest knitwear designer & innovator of the Xhosa (one of the South African dominant ethnic group) inspired knitwear brand MAXHOSA BY LADUMA. Ngxokolo established the brand 2011 with a desire to explore knitwear design solutions that would be suitable for the amakrwala (Xhosa initiates) traditional dress.
As a person who has undergone the ritual, he felt that he needed to develop a premium knitwear range that celebrates traditional Xhosa beadwork aesthetics, using South African mohair and wool. Since then, Ngxokolo has received numerous achievements and captures the hearts of many fashion lovers and media from South Africa, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Oslo, Berlin and New York.