The Perfect Sweater!

Laduma Ngxokolo unites tradition and style

I first learned about Design Indaba from our friend and collaborator Eddie Opara, who was a speaker at their recent conference and came back with great things to say about it. For those of us not lucky enough to have travelled to South Africa for the conference, they've fortunately posted tons of inspiring videos from the event. One of my favorites features Laduma Ngxokolo, a young knitwear designer who combines traditional Xhosa beadwork patterns and colors and the abundant mohair and wool production of South Africa's Eastern Cape (South Africa produces half of the world's mohair! who knew?) to create amazing sweaters intended to be part of the new clothes each young man wears upon completing a manhood initiation.

This is an incredibly fantastic design solution fusing traditional culture, global style, and sustainable local production. And they are sooooo covetable--I'm saving my pennies with the hope they will soon be available for purchase online or in New York!