South African luxury label Maxhosa Africa has reached a major international milestone, staging its first full runway show on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar, 16 years after founder Laduma Ngxokolo launched the brand.
The show, held at the South African ambassador’s residence in Paris on Monday, made Maxhosa the first South African brand to present a full runway show on the official calendar, according to Reuters.
Maxhosa had previously staged five presentations during Paris Fashion Week, but the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode described Monday’s event as the label’s runway debut.
“I’ve been fighting to sit at the table for 16 years now,” Ngxokolo told journalists after the show.
South African fashion takes centre stage in Paris
The significance of Maxhosa’s Paris runway extends beyond the clothes shown on the catwalk.
The collection was produced at the two knitting factories Maxhosa owns in Johannesburg and East London, using wool from the Eastern Cape.
It means a South African textile and manufacturing operation has been showcased on one of fashion’s most prestigious international stages.
The Paris collection combined Maxhosa’s signature geometric patterns with pieces named after African countries, while South African musician Sjava provided the soundtrack.
Ngxokolo said he had hoped to bring other African designers with him but lacked the resources, adding that the continent remains underrepresented in global fashion.
Laduma Ngxokolo’s 16-year journey with Maxhosa
Raised in Port Elizabeth, Ngxokolo studied textile design at Nelson Mandela University.
In 2010, a collection inspired by Xhosa culture won an international Society of Dyers and Colourists competition in London.
He launched Maxhosa that same year, translating traditional Xhosa beadwork patterns into premium knitwear.
The designer took another significant step in 2019 when he bought a Johannesburg knitting factory, bringing production in-house.
By 2024, Maxhosa had opened a New York store and begun presenting in Paris.
The brand has since expanded beyond its original knitwear focus and now includes men’s and women’s fashion, accessories and lifestyle products.
Its positioning firmly places it in the luxury market. Garments on Maxhosa’s South African online store frequently cost more than R10,000, with some dresses exceeding R50,000.
Taking South African luxury to the world
Maxhosa describes its presence in Paris as part of a broader expansion strategy aimed at positioning South African design as a contributor to international luxury.
The Paris runway provides the brand with global visibility, but the next challenge is translating that exposure into sustained international sales.
For South Africa, Maxhosa also presents an example of how locally developed intellectual property, raw materials and manufacturing can be turned into a high-value export.
After 16 years of building a distinctly South African luxury brand, Ngxokolo has secured Maxhosa a place on the official Paris Fashion Week runway.
The longer-term measure of that milestone will be how the brand converts its growing international profile into value while retaining as much of that value as possible at home.
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