African luxury fashion brand, MAXHOSA AFRICA does not need an introduction. Boasting luxe woven geometric patterns in vivid hues such as red, blue, yellow, and orange, the brand has carved a distinctive signature that easily stands out. Founded by award-winning fashion designer, entrepreneur, and creative artist Laduma Ngxokolo in 2010, MAXHOSA AFRICA has established itself as a thought leader in the African luxury landscape. The globally renowned brand has showcased luxe, African-inspired apparel on big stages such as New York Fashion Week. Moreover, the brand’s knitwear has been spotted on international celebrities such as Beyoncé, veteran Black Panther star, John Kani, and most recently – Michelle Obama during her Cape Town trip.
Since its formidable inception, the luxurious fashion brand’s designs have showcased the beauty, culture, language, and aspirations of African people. Though evolved and amended in a modern-day fashion dispensation that resonates with various markets globally, representing African culture has always been at the core of the brand’s designs. Unsurprisingly, MAXHOSA’s latest ready-to-wear capsule collection, A.S.T.O, short for African Soace Teavellers Organisation is no different.
Debuted on Otober 26 at the esteemed Zeits Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Cape Town, the A.S.T.O collection showcased an array of modern ensembles comprising MAXHOSA’s cultural DNA. Along with the runway showcase of the collection, MAXHOSA showcased its very first independently produced fashion film directed by the iconic Tebogo Malope, who is best known for his incredible work on “Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story.”
Inspired by the longstanding belief that Africans have inhabited space before, MAXHOSA’s latest collection takes fashion enthusiasts on an otherworldly odyssey with never-before-seen fashion pieces.
In an exclusive interview with Previdar, MAXHOSA AFRCA’s Public Relations Liaison, Ntsika Tyatya shared that the “African Space Travellers Organisation” film was inspired by the brand’s desire to occupy new spaces – pun intended.
“In African mythology, the idea of space travel existed before. With the film that we released, we wanted to approach the monogram in different ways and occupy different spaces. Africans have always believed that every land that we inhabit, has been inhabited by our kind before. This corresponds with how we also believe in travelling to the spiritual realm. All of this is a testament to the fact that we as Africans understand the concepts of space and space travel. Space is not just a NASA element”, expressed Tyatya.
During its grassroots phase, one could have easily boxed MAXHOSA as a brand that strictly caters to people belonging to the Xhosa clan. However, its appeal and reach over the last few years has expanded.
“The African continent was our muse for this particular collection. We have a pattern that we called the “African Union.” It comprises all the flags of countries on the continent. The ideology around that is establishing ourselves as a luxury African fashion brand, thus the need to be accessible/ relatable to people from various parts of the continent. We want to be a voice of the continent. We are no longer just MAXHOSA – we are MAXHOSA AFRICA,” said Tyatya.
Despite its visible traditional and cultural origins, the ensembles in the ASTO collection vividly envision what it means to be proudly African in the modern world. The capsule collection’s future-forward appeal perfectly complements its traditional roots, which comprise distinctive patterning.
Speaking about what fashion enthusiasts can expect from the upcoming collection, Ntsika shared that the ASTO collection will be a galaxy of MAXHOSA’s patterns.
“It is essential for us to create our own narratives when it comes to high luxury fashion. As a brand, we have created various patterns over the years. With this collection, we have decided to create a galaxy of all the patterns that we have created. This included dismantling some of our old patterns to create new ones”, expressed Tyatya.
The ready-to-wear collection is set to be available in stores over the next few weeks, with online sales expected to commence a bit sooner. In the meantime, fashionistas can look forward to the opening of MAXHOSA AFRICA’s first store in New York City’s SoHo District in February 2024!
