Famed and popular designer Laduma Ngxokolo of the African luxury apparel brand, MaXhosa, may need to get his lawyers ready after it was pointed out that an Italian brand may have copied its designs.
Famous for its knitwear that celebrates traditional Xhosa aesthetics, prints, patterns and colours, MaXhosa has been embraced by black creatives across the world, particularly in the United States.
Celebrities such as former NBA player Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony have adorned the designs including comedian and actress Amanda Seales.
This includes local celebrities such as the late Ricky Rick, Unathi Nkayi and Lamiez Holworthy. MaXhosa is considered to be one of Africa’s best fashion brands.
Was MaXhosa’s skirt plagiarised?
Seales published an Instagram reel explainer that she suspects the Italian brand, Etro is plagiarising very similar designs to MaXhosa.
In the video, Seales says a skirt sold on the Etro website called ‘Rainbow jacquard jersey skirt’ had a familiarity with MaXhosa’s and called it “bittery” of what the Italian company had done. Seales even showed she purchased a MaXhosa skirt years prior and thought it looked like a recent Etro design.
Comparing the two, Seales said: “This came first (MaXhosa skirt)… And this is the designer Laduma. Now, who do you think more authentically designed that skirt? Him or some Italians?
“Here is the thing. Fashion is commerce but first it’s an art and what artists do is we create, we hone, and we perfect our style and when you take someone else’s style you are breaking the code of artist’s ethics.”
Watch: Amanda Seales comments on alleged plagiarism of MaXhosa skirt
The actress who appeared on HBO’s Insecure urged people to support MaXhosa’s brand.
Twitter was divided on the claims, as some said it was clear plagiarism, while others said it’s part of the fashion game, as there are many inspirations from fellow designers.
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The Citizen has reached out to MaXhosa for comment and is waiting for a response.
