He Saved His Heritage by Knitting it Into the World's Best Sweaters

On a humid June morning in 2024, a crowd gathered on Canal Street in the heart of New York’s Soho district. They weren't there for the usual fast-fashion drops or high-street bargains. They were waiting for the doors of MaXhosa Africa to open, the first international flagship store for a brand that began in a small township room in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. At the centre of it all stood Laduma Ngxokolo, the man who has done the seemingly impossible: he took the ancient geometric language of the Xhosa people, and transformed it into the most coveted look in global luxury.

Speaking to the RMB Solutionist Thinking podcast, Laduma often reflects on how his journey didn't start in a fancy design school, but with his mother’s foresight. Born in 1986 in Gqeberha (then Port Elizabeth), Laduma was raised by Lindelwa Ngxokolo, a knitwear designer who worked out of a small studio in New Brighton. In a move that would define Laduma’s life, his mother once chose to buy a domestic knitting machine from the Salvation Army instead of a television set for the home. It was on this humble machine that Laduma first learned the technical rhythm of making fabric, a skill he kept secret during his high school years to avoid being teased by other boys.

Life took a sharp, difficult turn when Laduma was just fifteen. His mother passed away, leaving him and his siblings to run a child-headed household. In those lean years, the knitting machine became a tool for survival rather than just a hobby. To pay for bread and transport to Lawson Brown High School, Laduma began knitting scarves and beanies in school colors, selling them to fellow students for a lower price than the official school shop. This early struggle taught him that fashion wasn't just about beauty—it was about solving problems and creating value where none existed.

The real spark for what would become MaXhosa Africa arrived during Laduma’s university years. As part of his thesis at Nelson Mandela University in 2010, he looked at a deeply personal cultural problem. In Xhosa culture, when young men, known as amakrwala, return from their initiation ceremony in the mountains, they are required to dress in new, high-quality formal clothing to signify their manhood. For decades, these young men had turned to European brands like Pringle or Lyle & Scott to mark this transition. Laduma asked himself why a deeply African rite of passage was being validated by European aesthetics.

He decided to create a collection specifically for these initiates, using the patterns and colours of traditional Xhosa beadwork. According to a profile by Empire Magazine Africa, this project, titled "The Colourful World of the Xhosa Culture," wasn't just an academic exercise; it was the birth of a movement. By translating the zigzags and diamonds of beadwork into premium knitwear, he gave young African men a way to celebrate their heritage without feeling outdated. The world noticed immediately; the collection won him a prestigious award in London that same year, proving that local stories could resonate on a global stage.

But building a luxury empire from Africa is not without its battles. As the brand grew, MaXhosa became a target for "fashion colonialism." In 2018, loyal customers in London and New York alerted Laduma that the global giant Zara was selling socks that were direct copies of his 2014 "Khanyisa" cardigan design. According to a 2018 report by Legal Africa, Laduma didn't back down. He characterised the theft as an extraction of cultural heritage. Enlisting a top intellectual property firm, he forced the multi-billion dollar retailer to withdraw the products globally and issue an apology. It was a landmark victory, showing the world that African designers would no longer let their culture be "cut-and-pasted" without permission.

Today, MaXhosa Africa is a family-run powerhouse. Laduma works alongside his siblings, Tina, Mangaliso, and Lihle, to manage a production facility in Johannesburg that employs roughly 300 people. They have moved beyond just knitwear, expanding into homeware like rugs, cushions, and even ceramic tiles. The brand’s signature aesthetic, a "loud luxury" that celebrates identity, has attracted icons like Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, and Alicia Keys. Yet, despite the celebrity fans, Laduma remains committed to the local economy. He insists on using 100% South African mohair and wool, helping to sustain the farmers of the Eastern Cape.

As he explained to Afropolitain Magazine during his Soho store opening, the goal is to establish an African luxury institution that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with names like Gucci or Louis Vuitton. For Laduma, every sweater is a piece of storytelling, a way of preserving the history of his people for the next generation. He is no longer the boy keeping his knitting a secret; he is the weaver of a new African renaissance, proving that when you stay true to your roots, the world will eventually come to your door.

Lessons for Budding Makers

Laduma Ngxokolo’s journey from a survivalist student to a global fashion icon offers vital insights for anyone looking to build a brand rooted in culture:

1. Turn Cultural Gaps into Opportunities: Laduma didn't just want to "make clothes"; he identified a specific cultural moment, the Xhosa initiation ceremony, where people were forced to use foreign brands, and he filled that gap with an authentic local alternative.
2. Protect Your Intellectual Property Boldly: When a global giant like Zara copied his designs, Laduma used both legal action and social media to defend his work, proving that even a small maker can successfully challenge a multinational corporation if their original designs have deep cultural and artistic weight.