What Laduma Ngxokolo showed on Sunday at the South African ambassador's residence in France was not just the autumn collection of her brand Maxhosa Africa. With her first presentation in the official Paris calendar, she planted the flag on behalf of the African continent in the global fashion arena.
“I think we, the African continent, have a good opportunity to play an important role in the global value ecosystem of the fashion business,” he told WWD.
In his view, African fashion was sustainable thanks to its access to raw materials and a rapidly growing middle class, particularly in its home country of South Africa, a forerunner in terms of retail and textile industrial infrastructure.
Her case study is her 13-year-old brand, which has over 300 employees and its own vertically integrated knitwear factory.
At the core of Maxhosa Africa is its belief that preserving culture comes from making it part of contemporary life (as traditional Western brands do, he noted) rather than keeping it in museums or for special occasions.
She therefore continued her reinterpretation of Xhosa beadwork as well as motifs drawn from Ndebele and Maasai cultures through the lens of knitwear.
They were used to great effect for a wide range from casual wear to more elegant garments, with multi-coloured tracksuits; an off-the-shoulder top and matching skirt with a lattice motif; women's cardigans; a pleated skirt that showed silk inserts in its godets, and a blue openwork dress made up of wide zigzag bands of rhomboidal shapes.
Between her expertise and Nxgokolo's eye for color harmonies and flattering shapes, her brand has a space in the growing contingent of fabric-based cool kids like CFCL.
Beading also nods to the brand's roots, embroidered on an apron dress or as an asymmetrical beaded bolero that featured a sporty high neck, layered over a sleek burgundy skater dress.
There was also a black jacquard suit featuring the brand's symbols in its design and outlined with contrasting hand-applied knit trim, one of the quieter options Nxgokolo offers for those who just want to dip their toes in.
And being attracted to the visual appeal of the clothes and being curious about where they came from was also an acceptable first approach for Nxgokolo.
“People who wear [the brand] “They are part of cultural preservation,” he said. “They can choose to dress our pieces casually, formally or in any way or style they prefer, but they have chosen to be disciples of taking African fashion to the next level.”
Ultimately, Nxgokolo wants to ensure that his message that the brand “is not restricted to the African diaspora, it is not for the African continent, it is for the world” is heard loud and clear. A sign that it's already working: the brand is increasingly being referred to simply as Maxhosa.
It will expand this through its own retail store, with a six-month pop-up store in New York opening on March 24 and plans for one in Paris later this year.
And given the international buyers and press that attended its unveiling, the world is listening.
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