Award-winning South African knitwear brand MaXhosa Africa launched a boutique store in the Big Apple on Friday with a three-day celebration for VIP clients, media and the public.
Named recently by Brand Africa as the most admired African brand in South Africa, MaXhosa has gained cult status among the global elite, with celebrities such as Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and former US First Lady Michelle Obama wearing select pieces from the collection.
Located at 325 Canal Street, on the border of the city’s SoHo and Chinatown districts, the boutique features the designer’s signature knitwear creations in vibrant, bold designs inspired by traditional Xhosa beadwork and aesthetics. The store features MaXhosa Home-patterned wallpaper and curated rugs.
Chief designer and founder, Laduma Ngxokolo, 37, greeted a steady stream of top clients who braved a rainstorm to show support for the globally-acclaimed brand founded in 2011.
“Normally, I don’t get super excited about the start,” Ngxokolo told the Sunday Times.
“I always get excited about six months in, because I’m a person that when I’m given the opportunity, I make the best of it. I’ve been hungry for this opportunity for more than 10 years since I started coming to New York — from when we were at New York Fashion Week in 2013.”
Checking every detail, down to hammering in the finishings and assembling the mannequins in the boutique himself, the Gqeberha-born designer is passionate about expanding his brand throughout North America and beyond.
“I promise I’ll take advantage of the opportunities that come my way. For me, one store in one state is not enough — I want five, 10, I want 15 — you know, because that’s how we should be. Luxury consumers are everywhere in Miami, they’re in San Francisco, LA, Atlanta, Canada, you name it. So I want to make the best out of it.”
Lihle Ngxokolo Nqini, MaXhosa Africa MD described the entire experience as surreal.
“I can’t even describe how I feel, as New York has been brewing for so many years. I remember in 2019 when we came here for New York Fashion Week, we said we were definitely coming back. But then the pandemic hit, and we needed to restructure. It’s been five years since we replanted that seed, and today it has grown and we are so excited to be finally in New York.”
The opening had its fair share of challenges and delays.
“Honestly, it’s been a very rough journey. We were supposed to open in February, and we’re in June already. So you can imagine all of those months we were struggling and having so many challenges. But I don’t want to dwell on them right now. We’re just excited that we have opened. But I know for a fact, once a child starts teething, the teeth are out and it’s smooth sailing from then."
Nigerian-American celebrity stylist and creative director Alexander-Julian Gibbson has been a fan of the brand since 2015.
“MaXhosa used to have their pieces at this showroom I used to work for, and so I’ve been a fan of the brand ever since. I have the socks, a pair of shorts, and I’m excited that Laduma and the brand is here, so that I can find more of his pieces for my clients more easily.”
Laduma feels optimistic for the future.
“Right now, my conviction is to acknowledge the fact that the journey I’m on is the actual destination — and not wait five or 10 years, to validate my achievement of my aspirations. As a team, we’ve opened six boutiques collectively in Johannesburg, and we’re opening up the seventh boutique in three months’ time in Sandton.
“From a commercial standpoint, I feel that’s a great achievement and our main base will still remain in Joburg. As you know, Johannesburg is an economic hub of the African continent, and therefore I’ve always told myself that it cannot be taken for granted. Yes, there’s Polokwane and Limpopo, the Free State that we have yet to discover, and as the black middle class grows in Africa, it can only get better.
“My message to my fellow South Africans is that resilience and courage build character. You know, we’re a resilient nation. We’re going through a lot currently. But only focus on the positive, because when you get dragged down by the negative it ends up affecting your spiritual alignment with the world.
“Politics, economics, crime, are not of good standing at the moment back at home, but there’s definitely hope. I want to be an example of that. Tyla is, Trevor Noah, Black Coffee, the list is endless. South African fashion to the world.”
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