Laduma Ngxokolo proudly acknowledges that it was his mother who taught him to knit. As a 16-year-old it might have taken him a while to get his work to the point where he says he was satisfied with it, but more importantly, a passion took root that has directed Ngxokolo’s life and studies ever since.
Fast forward a few years and Ngxokolo’s first tentative stitches have developed into a local success story. What started out as a student project at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University last year has become a phenomenon that even Ngxokolo struggles to fully grapple with, especially after the stir he caused at this year’s Design Indaba.
MaXhosa Knitwear was inspired by Ngxokolo wanting to design a range of men’s knitwear for amakrwala (a tradition amongst the Xhosa communities in the Eastern Cape where hundreds of Xhosa boys aged between eighteen and twenty-three attend Xhosa circumcision schools for a manhood initiation ritual). Before amakrwala go to a circumcision school, Ngxokolo explains that all their old clothes have to be given away (as a sign of the end of their boyhood) and their parents have to buy them a range of new clothing – part of which includes high quality men’s knitwear.
“I was initiated in 2007, and the clothes we had to wear had no resemblance to Xhosa traditions at all. So I took that problem and tried to find a solution for it,” he explains.
Inspired by an art exhibition titled Ubuhle Bentsimbi (The Beauty of Beadwork) which was exhibited at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum during the 2010 Soccer World Cup, Ngxokolo began to painstakingly develop those designs into knitwear patterns.
Not only was this a huge technical challenge, especially with the dated software and machinery that SA has to offer, but his designs also had to be trendy and appealing to a youthful audience and possess a high quality and longevity (so that they could be passed down to the next generation).
The hard work definitely paid off. MaXhosa Knitwear proudly boasts five different styles of knitwear, including trendy cardigans and longsleeve pullovers, all of which are made with 80% marino wool hand spun and dyed in SA. Although thus far Ngxokolo concedes that his clients are largely Cape Town based, he has also received orders from some initiates, who are glad to have a local and proudly South African alternative to the Pringle and Lyle & Scott labels of the world.
This article was first published in CitiVibe in The Citizen on Thursday 4 August 2011.
To contact Laduma Ngxokolo, e-mail him on ngxokolo.laduma@gmail.com or visit www.maxhosa.co.za / www.africanknitwear.com. MaXhosa Knitwear will be exhibiting at Decorex (in Joburg from August 5 – 9 at Gallager Convention Centre in Midrand) as part of the Gabi Gabi 2011 textile showcase. Visit www.decorex.co.za for more information.
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