MaXhosa: how Laduma Ngxokolo built a South African knitwear business fit for Paris Fashion Week
It began with a student's idea for young Xhosa men coming home from initiation. Sixteen years on, it employs 300 people, owns two factories and has a runway slot in Paris.
MaXhosa, the knitwear label South African designer Laduma Ngxokolo started in 2010, made history on 28 September 2026 as the first South African label to put on a full runway show within the official Paris Fashion Week schedule. Behind that milestone is a business that makes almost everything itself: about 300 staff, eight stores and two knitting factories of its own, in Johannesburg and East London.
A business born from a ritual
Ngxokolo was born in 1986 in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha, and learned to knit as a boy beside his mother. After going through the Xhosa coming-of-age ritual himself, he noticed that young men returning home as initiates had nothing modern to wear that spoke of their heritage. His answer was knitwear carrying the colours and geometry of traditional Xhosa beadwork.
“When I went through the ritual, I realised that there was a gap which was missing.”
He shaped the idea while studying textile design at Nelson Mandela University, which helped him produce his first pieces and protect his designs. Awards and seed funding for his student work let him turn a college range into a company. The yarns came from home: merino wool and mohair, the silky fibre of the Angora goat, both produced in quantity in the Eastern Cape.
Photo: EricFuchs — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Made in its own factories
What sets MaXhosa apart from many fashion labels on the continent is that it controls its own production. Rather than sending orders abroad, it knits its clothes in two factories it owns, one in Johannesburg and one in East London, using wool from the Eastern Cape.
“Ninety percent of our products are produced in-house.”
That choice reaches beyond the balance sheet. Ngxokolo has long pointed out that manufacturing in South Africa costs far more than buying production in Asia, one reason so many African designers struggle to grow. He wants MaXhosa to show that the country's textile industry can turn out luxury goods to the highest standard, and to create lasting jobs in the Eastern Cape.
From student range to global label
The brand grew shop by shop. Its early knitwear sold in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Namibia and London; today there are eight stores, and Michelle Obama and Beyoncé have both worn the label. Ngxokolo names Missoni, Gucci and Louis Vuitton among the houses that inspired him, and says no brand is yet famous for being proudly made in Africa. He means MaXhosa to be the first.
- 2010Ngxokolo completes his textile design degree and launches MaXhosa.
- 2015He wins Vogue Italia's Scouting for Africa prize.
- 2024MaXhosa joins the official Paris schedule, the only Africa-based brand there for five straight seasons of presentations.
- July 2026Paris approves its first full runway show, the only new name added to that season's calendar.
- 28 Sept 2026MaXhosa shows 54 spring-summer 2027 looks at the South African ambassador's residence.
This is not about proving that we belong. It is about owning our place.
Laduma Ngxokolo, to Glamour South Africa
For Ngxokolo, Paris is less a finish line than proof that the model works: African heritage, designed and made in Africa, sold as luxury. He has said Africa is still underrepresented at fashion's top table, and that he would like to bring other African designers to Paris with him once the resources allow.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded MaXhosa?
South African designer Laduma Ngxokolo founded MaXhosa in 2010, after studying textile design at Nelson Mandela University. He leads it as founder and chief creative director.
Where is MaXhosa made?
In South Africa. The brand knits its clothes in two factories it owns, in Johannesburg and East London, using Eastern Cape wool, and Ngxokolo says 90% of its products are made in-house.
What inspires MaXhosa's patterns?
The bold geometric patterns come from traditional Xhosa beadwork. The label was first made for young Xhosa men returning home after initiation who wanted modern clothes that reflected their heritage.
Has MaXhosa shown at Paris Fashion Week?
Yes. After five seasons of presentations on the official schedule, it staged its first full runway show there on 28 September 2026, with 54 spring-summer 2027 looks.
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