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From the Series
The votes are in and the people have spoken, Laduma Ngxokolo’s shawl is the most Beautiful Object in South Africa.
Ngxokolo is the founder and designer behind MaXhosa, a fashion label that uses traditional Xhosa beadwork motifs and patterns to celebrate the rich heritage of the Xhosa culture. The shawl was designed as a part of Ngxokolo’s Autumn/Winter ’16 collection.
Knit in black and white yarn, the shawl boasts the characteristic Xhosa aesthetic that Ngoxolo is famed for. The design is unisex and can be styled in over twenty different ways. Ngxokolo has had tongues wagging at home and abroad after he showcased his collections at the Palazzo Morando Show in Milan, Italy.
Nominator Tracey Lynch motivated her choice with these words: “When I started looking for the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa, when I started looking for a piece that I found really spoke to me, I found this particular piece – the shawl,” says Lynch.
The shawl was chosen out of 10 other nominations all handpicked by influential cultural commentators in South African culture. This year’s nominators include Emilie Gambade, editor-in-chief of ELLE South Africa, Dillion Phiri, founder and creative director of Creative Nestlings and South African textile designer Sindiso Khumalo.
Past winners include the Boomslang at Kirstenbosch and the Nested Bunk Beds by Y Tsai, to the fashion film Steam 1886 by Adrian Lazarus and the Condom Applicator by Roelf Mulder.
Photo Credit: Trevor Stuurman
