MaXhosa Africa Makes First-Ever FHCM Paris Runway Debut

Forbes Africa reports Laduma Ngxokolo staged MaXhosa Africa's first show on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar, unveiling a 54-look collection and expansion plans.

Forbes Africa reports that South African designer Laduma Ngxokolo marked a milestone for African fashion on Monday, September 28, as MaXhosa Africa staged its first runway show on the official Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) Paris Fashion Week calendar. The Spring/Summer 2026-2027 collection, titled *Izihlwele Zivumile* — an isiXhosa phrase the FHCM translated as "the ancestors have co-signed" — was presented at the South African ambassador's residence in Paris. USA Today's Paris Fashion Week photo coverage also documented Maxhosa Africa's spring/summer 2027 ready-to-wear show on September 28, placing the debut alongside the week's marquee houses.

According to Forbes Africa, Ngxokolo told the outlet that the house presented 54 looks and, as usual, tried to diversify its fabrics as much as possible even though it specializes in knitwear, which he called the brand's strongest language. He listed silk, chiffon, organza, organdy, cotton and various other materials among the fabrics the label plays with, adding that the house had only showcased half of what it came with before. Forbes Africa also reports the collection featured upcycled eyewear and accessories by Kenyan artist Cyrus Kabiru, adding what the outlet describes as a pan-African element to the Paris runway show.

Forbes Africa reports that this was also MaXhosa's first time showcasing footwear proudly from its own brand, and that Ngxokolo said the house will officially expand into accessories because that is a very important category when building the portfolio of a well-established luxury brand. South African musician Sjava performed live during the show dressed in traditional Zulu regalia, including umgingqo and ibheshu. Forbes Africa quotes Sjava saying he never thought he would be in Paris wearing those pieces with MaXhosa at Paris Fashion Week, calling it a dream come true with a brand that is African and South African.

The surprise for devoted followers is that a 16-year-old house built on Xhosa knitwear — one that Forbes Africa notes has dressed celebrities from Beyoncé to Alicia Keys — reached the official FHCM calendar not as a guest presentation but as a scheduled debut, during a season already crowded with 67 shows and 34 presentations, as Hypebae describes the SS27 Paris calendar. That makes MaXhosa's placement a genuine upset within fashion-week hierarchy: an African luxury label entering the same official program as Saint Laurent, Dior and Margiela, rather than staging an off-calendar showcase on the sidelines of the week.

Forbes Africa frames the commercial stakes clearly: Ngxokolo said the Paris appearance was about translating international visibility into long-term growth for the 16-year-old design house. He told the outlet, "We want to come here and do business and get good distribution deals that are permanent," adding that the label has been doing groundwork for the past six seasons. Forbes Africa reports he envisions the house one day being well represented with flagship stores and distributing what he calls an alternative that a lot of people have been waiting for — positioning MaXhosa as a broader African luxury house rather than a knitwear specialist.

Following the September 28 debut, the road map Forbes Africa outlines is expansion: footwear is now official, accessories are next, and the house wants permanent distribution deals rather than seasonal spotlights. The context around the debut also matters — Page Six reports Paris Fashion Week runs from September 28 through October 6, closing out the spring/summer 2027 season, while Hypebae notes this Paris calendar includes creative-director finales and debuts at Courrèges and Carven. Within that field, MaXhosa's first official-caliber outing gives Ngxokolo a platform to keep building the flagship-and-accessories vision he described to Forbes Africa.