MaxHosa is a study in contrast. Founded as an eco-conscious menswear brand specialized in knitwear, it is leaning into women’s, which now accounts for 60% of its business. The brand’s original intent, which was to nudge African fashion away from “special occasion” wear by designing contemporary luxury for every day, has landed it squarely back on the wedding-slash-ceremonial circuit, where it is a favorite among a culture-savvy generation that wants to honor pride without wearing their parents’ prints. And though business is challenged right now, it’s “bad in a good way,” said founder and creative director Laduma Ngxokolo.
The bad news, of course, is the way that geopolitical headwinds are impacting all luxury businesses. The upside: “We are currently on the heels of unlocking a great opportunity in the fashion world because it is looking to new faces,” Ngxokolo said during a post-show interview. “We’re playing in all the major South African cities where the majors are, but we’ve only achieved about 2% of what we want to achieve. But we can only control so much.”
Where he’s proving adept is in steering how African fashion is showing up to the world. To that end, the designer arrived in Paris with a fall collection of 31 looks, which he set against a soundtrack by the hip-hop artist Maglera Doe Boy, a fitting backdrop for brand signatures in a riot of colors, patterns and embellishments.
Strong looks included a tiered shift in a mashup of diamonds and zigzag motifs in sunset hues, broken up by bands of white faux fur. A black halter dress with colorful squiggles revisited an idea that dates to the brand’s founding, in 2011, now trimmed with blue fringe for “an organic feel.” A riff on an iconic jacket conjured the Rue Cambon by way of Jo’burg. Of a couple other numbers with teardrop cutouts over the ribcage, the designer quipped, “I think that lots of people don’t want African-inspired clothing to be sexy, but Tom Ford would do something like that.”
That was just the tip of the iceberg: in the weeks ahead MaxHosa will host a full-on fashion show back home, with approximately three times the number of looks shown in Paris. It already counts eight wholly owned stores and two factories with 300 employees between them. That, plus a September showcase in New York as Fashion Month gets underway, makes this indie a brand worth watching.
