Inside Africa – Meet South African Clothing Brand ‘Maxhosa

Maxhosa by LADUMA is a South African Knitwear and Textile brand that caters for both men and women that have a keen eye for well-crafted , artistic pieces. The brand was founded by Laduma Ngxokolo, a popular South African designer, in 2011.

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Shot this @MAXHOSA campaign 9 years ago in my home town at KwaDwesi in PE, not know how far it would go. It now sits in national high school university curriculums, books, and multiple thesis references around the world world. Today we’ll be showcasing a retrospective collection that references 10 years of successful #MAXHOSA patterns at the @afi_sa fashion week platform at 9pm here in Cape Town, we’ll be broadcasting the show live on the @MAXHOSA Instagram account. To many more shows to come 🙏🏿❤️🍾

A post shared by Laduma Ngxokolo (@laduma) on Mar 14, 2020 at 2:07am PDT

The cultural background of the Maxhosa by LADUMA Brand

Laduma created this brand when he noticed a gap in the traditional knitwear for Xhosa occasions. With the sole purpose of making premium and modern knitwear to celebrate Xhosa traditions, Maxhosa by LADUMA was created. He gets his inspiration for his collections from art, the breathtaking trends, happenings on the street and a load of other things.

Xhosa is an ethnic group in South Africa and the name comes from that of a legendary king who was called uXhosa. Xhosa means fierce or angry in some South African translation.

Awards won by the Maxhosa brand

Laduma Ngxokolo has won many awards and recognitions in the fashion industry. Some of them are listed below

• 2017 Pride of Africa: Africa Fashion Week Barcelona Awards 
• Fashion Designer Of the Year for Southern Africa: ABRYAN’S Style And Fashion Awards 2016
• Most Stylish Designer: SA Style Awards 2016 

He was recognised as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2017 by New African Magazine.

Maxhosa by LADUMA also creates unisex pieces, while skirts, trousers, hoodies, shirts and scarfs are some of the other clothing pieces that have been released. The brand also dabbles in accessories for both men and women, and home decorations.

Maxhosa by LADUMA has earned its place in the fashion world, both locally and internationally with the pieces it releases that highlight the cultural and spiritual beauty of Africa, the foundation on which the brand was founded.

Since inception, some of the collections that have been released include Izilimela AW2020, We Are Kings And Queens SS2020, AW19,  SS19 and so many more.

The inspiration for We Are Kings And Queens SS20 came when Laduma spoke to a traditional healer and philosopher about restoring Africa’s dignity and pride in the people. The collection breathes royalty and majesty.

Izilimela AW2020 showcases all the classic patterns used by Maxhosa since the beginning. Each piece with a mixture of velvet on knitted pieces bursting with pure and radiant colours. Some of the outfits include knitted hoodies and velvet sweatpants, which are not very easy to come by. This is what stands Maxhosa by LADUMA out from other designers; the unique and rare pieces.

Recently, Maxhosa by LADUMA celebrated its 10-year anniversary in  the fashion industry by organising a fashion show to showcase a selection from the brand’s pieces.

When passion meets hardwork and perseverance, a sustainable brand is what is achieved and we say Kudos to Laduma Ngxokolo of the Maxhosa by LADUMA fashion brand for a job well done.Like 0