MAXHOSA by Laduma is a Cape Town based South African textile and knitwear brand founded by Laduma Ngxokolo. The brand is best known for his men’s knitwear range inspired by traditional Xhosa beadwork. Laduma prioritises the use of colours and symbols in his designs, as this is an important part of Xhosa visual culture.

The designer Laduma Ngxokolo started his journey into MAXHOSA by Laduma in 2010 to find knitwear design solutions for amakrwala (Xhosa initiates). When he redesigned the traditional clothing worn by Xhosa men upon initiation his vision was to create a modern Xhosa-inspired knitwear collection that would be suitable for amakrwala, who are prescribed by tradition to dress up in new dignified formal clothing for six months after initiation.

To make his dreams come true the designer moved from his birthplace Port Elisabeth to Cape Town, where he found the right people to work with. However the materials for his products are still sourced from his birth place in Port Elisabeth.
For his knitwear products MAXHOSA by Laduma uses only the best locally produced materials such as merino wool and mohair. He also utilises focuses on materials with longevity so that the garments can be preserved for future generations.

How we met MAXHOSA by Laduma

We had discovered Ladumas impressive knitwear before we headed to Cape Town in February 2014. But what we were allowed to see at the Design Indaba 2014 was more remarkable than what we had seen on the internet. His accuracy and knowledge of knitwear and materials was extraordinary. Alongside the beautifully designed products the quality of his work was more convincing to us. We knew right away that we wanted to work with him and needed to introduce his products to our customers.