MaXhosa Africa

Country

South Africa

Price

Contemporary

Founded

2010

Founder

Laduma Ngxokolo

maxhosa.com @maxhosaafrica

Born in Port Elizabeth, MaXhosa began as Laduma Ngxokolo's design-school thesis: a Xhosa initiation knitwear range translating amaXhosa beadwork into mohair and merino. Patterns once stitched on women's chests now read as graphic intarsia, rendered in the muted ochres and electric blues of the Eastern Cape. Stocked everywhere from New York to Milan and worn by Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, the house has become the global benchmark for modern African knitwear without leaving Johannesburg.

Shop Secondhand

Archive and rare MaXhosa Africa pieces mostly circulate on the resale market. Japanese sites don't ship to China — buy via a proxy like Buyee; most Western sites ship internationally or are reachable with a US/EU forwarder.

Japan · via Buyee

Mercari ↗Yahoo Auctions ↗

US / Europe

Grailed ↗eBay ↗Vestiaire ↗

How to buy secondhand →

Where to Buy 2

Cape Town

Merchants on Long

Cape Town

Retailer list compiled from public information; actual availability may vary.

Timeline5

2010—2022·12 yrs

2010
Founded by Laduma Ngxokolo
Laduma Ngxokolo launches MaXhosa as his master's thesis at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, translating Xhosa beadwork motifs into knitwear.
2014
Vogue Italia 'Scouting for Africa' winner
Ngxokolo wins Vogue Italia's Scouting for Africa prize, launching the brand internationally.
2015
WGSN Global Design Award
MaXhosa wins WGSN's Global Design Award, recognised for fusing Xhosa cultural heritage with contemporary luxury knitwear.
2019
First New York Fashion Week show
MaXhosa debuts at New York Fashion Week, becoming one of the first South African heritage brands to show on the official schedule.
2022
Sandton flagship opens
The brand opens its flagship at Sandton City in Johannesburg, anchoring its African luxury positioning.

2010
Founded by Laduma Ngxokolo
Laduma Ngxokolo launches MaXhosa as his master's thesis at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, translating Xhosa beadwork motifs into knitwear.
2014
Vogue Italia 'Scouting for Africa' winner
Ngxokolo wins Vogue Italia's Scouting for Africa prize, launching the brand internationally.
2015
WGSN Global Design Award
MaXhosa wins WGSN's Global Design Award, recognised for fusing Xhosa cultural heritage with contemporary luxury knitwear.
2019
First New York Fashion Week show
MaXhosa debuts at New York Fashion Week, becoming one of the first South African heritage brands to show on the official schedule.
2022
Sandton flagship opens
The brand opens its flagship at Sandton City in Johannesburg, anchoring its African luxury positioning.