32 REAL-LEADERS.COM / SUMMER 2022 ETHICAL FASHION owner who gave him a break and a small office in the corner of his factory to test his striking designs on machines that were churning out knitwear for mass retailers. A boutique in Cape Town took a chance on him. Then his sister offered to stock his knitwear in her small shop in Port Elizabeth, 500 miles away. Next, his brand crept into neighboring Namibia and then took flight to France. Today, Maxhosa Africa can be found in London and New York and on dozens of online stores. Centuries-old, Xhosainspired designs have even made their way onto the walkway at New York Fashion Week. For Ngxokolo, the lesson was clear: Trying to achieve success by copying the business ideas of others is not as successful as developing something unique. “My late mother taught me how to knit with a sliding knitting machine from the age of 16,” says Ngxokolo. “It was a little awkward at first because as a boy, this was not the norm, but I really enjoyed it. I made my first knitwear design when I was in Grade 8 and thought, “Okay, this might just turn into a career.” In Xhosa tradition, once you have undergone an initiation ceremony as a teenager and become an adult, you need to dress appropriately. “Knitwear is one of the items we buy to symbolize this new life as an adult,” explains Ngxokolo. “There has always been imported or local knitwear around that is freely available, but not in terms of design; none of it has anything to do with our local cultural aesthetics.” Ngxokolo wanted to use traditional patterns as his inspiration and reinvent it into something contemporary. While exploring astonishing traditional Xhosa beadwork patterns, symbolism, and colors, he decided that these designs were best suited for knitwear. He reinterpreted them into modern, luxury knitwear. Around the world, knitwear has traditionally come in some interesting patterns. One of the patterns that caught Ngxokolo’s eye was the diamondshaped Argyle pattern from Scotland. He wondered if he could find an equally distinctive local pattern to work with. After playing around with a few ideas, he discovered some amazing beadwork in an art museum in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and used the patterns as inspiration to create graphic motifs. “I wanted to make them look modern and to move the design away from its traditional roots,” says Ngxokolo. Many famous European fashion brands have taken their original inspiration from historical and cultural symbols and Ngxokolo wanted to do the same — in a uniquely African way. The power of early collaboration also played a role in boosting Ngxokolo’s career when he secured sponsorships from Mohair South Africa and Cape Wools South Africa, which enabled him to complete early projects. Both organizations had a mandate to promote local wool internationally but lacked the creative marketing vision to get the world excited about it. Ngxokolo’s striking designs were the perfect opportunity to show just how creative people could be with a relatively dull raw material. It was a lesson that staid, uninspiring industries can invigorate their brand with talented individuals who see untapped potential in their products. n FOR NGXOKOLO, THE LESSON WAS CLEAR: TRYING TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS BY COPYING THE BUSINESS IDEAS OF OTHERS IS NOT AS SUCCESSFUL AS DEVELOPING SOMETHING UNIQUE.
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