MAXHOSA Africa takes pan-African fashion to Paris

On 28 September 2026, MAXHOSA Africa presented a runway collection in Paris, becoming, according to Reuters, the first South African brand to secure a place on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar. For its founder and creative director, Laduma Ngxokolo, the moment closes a campaign of some sixteen years to be given a seat at the table.

The collection was openly pan-African: knitted pieces carried the names of African countries, and the house’s graphic vocabulary — rooted in Xhosa beadwork — met bright patterning across the line-up. Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru, known for sculptural pieces made from discarded materials, contributed accessories.

Why does it matter beyond the runway? Because the clothes are made at home. MAXHOSA produces in two knitting factories, in Johannesburg and East London, using wool sourced in the Eastern Cape. Ngxokolo has framed Paris as proof that South Africa’s textile industry can produce at luxury level — an argument about manufacturing and value, not only about image.

It is also a question of authorship. A brand built on a specific cultural language, owned and produced on the continent, now speaks inside one of fashion’s most guarded institutions on its own terms. Ngxokolo himself has noted that Africa remains under-represented on these calendars; MAXHOSA’s presence is a beginning, not a conclusion.