On April 22, the world commemorated Earth Day.
Earth Day is observed annually to remind us to be mindful of our environment and play our part in saving the planet.
The theme for this year was “Invest in our Planet”. To commemorate the day, Maxhosa Africa staged a fashion show to launch its Autumn/Winter 2023.
“Producing sustainable fashion is important because I am human and must contribute to the world to make it a better place.
“Therefore, as you grow as a business, you get to impact how you make your garments and how it affects the environment.
“Studying textiles gave me an in-depth of what impact the clothes we wear have on our planet,” says Laduma Ngxokolo, founder of Maxhosa Africa.
Lovers of the brand, Mzansi celebrities and the media gathered at the Nirox Sculpture Park in Krugersdorp. Ngxokolo and his team displayed installations of how a Maxhosa garment is made, from shearing the sheep to the finished products that we see people wearing.
After a beautiful afternoon of connecting with other fashionistas, guests were ushered to the lake to get the first glimpse of the new season MaXhosa Africa AW2023 collection.
Called ‘The Sons and Daughters of Credo Mutwa,’ this collection is a homage to one of South Africa’s great Sanusi, and mystical storytellers Credo Mutwa.
“I’ve been reading about Credo Mutwa since I was eight years old through my late mother, who passed away about 20 years ago. He taught us about his work in detail. His motives, his beliefs, his anthropology, his myths, and since then, I have never looked back,” says Ngxokolo.
He adds: “I’ve always seen his contribution to the world as something lowkey with the highest impact that we are yet to cherish as Africans that’s how I pretty much know him.”
The fashion show around the lake under a beautiful sunset evoked some emotions.
I felt a spiritual awakening watching the models walking on the green grass with Mutwa’s voice playing in the background.
You’d swear he was there, cheering on his African children for holding on to his teachings.
“Some of my design approaches are inspired by Mutwa’s images of the world and the continent.
“I have been listening to his lectures, reading his books and viewing his artwork.
“I am drawn to how he portrays a mystical world; he has a deep imagination of all kinds of human characters,” says Ngxokolo.
Ngxokolo partnered with Ntombenhle Khathwane, the founder of AfroBotanics, for his garments to get the perfect hair to match with.
Khathwane says as a person who is fond of Mutwa, she had to come to the party.
“I approached Ngxokolo to collaborate on the hair with him because I love Credo Mutwa, and he is grounded on the philosophy of being an African.
“In terms of hairstyling, we took inspiration from the Tree of Life because hair is our Tree of Life, our connection to the divine.”
Khathwane, who launched her brand in 2011, inspired by her traditional healer grandmother, is also planning on hosting a hair show to tell the sacred story of African hair.
Read the latest issue of IOL Fashion digital magazine here.