Laduma Ngxokolo, who established the iconic and internationally-acclaimed knitwear brand, MaXhosa by Laduma, has always had ambitions beyond jerseys.
In recent months, he has launched rugs, a pop-up store collaboration with Magnum, a clothing collaboration with award-winning hiphop artist Ricky Rick and the local luxury bag brand Okapi.
Now he's introduced iPhone covers, which reflect his fascination with Xhosa culture, in a collaboration with beadwork designer, Vukile Batyi. MaXhosa said they had been experimenting with covers "to elevate culture into modern times by combining the old and new."
The covers don't come cheap though, retailing for R2 200 each, but Ngxokolo reckons it's a proper reflection of the "exceptional craftmanship" involved and the durability of the product. "We aim to make a complementary product to the phone, not a case that can be easily discarded," he added.
The iPhone cases are made from walnut wood and soft thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material that makes the edging resistant to oil, grease and abrasion.
The beads are sourced from Durban and then beaded at the MaXhosa factory where the cases are also assembled.
— Business Insider SA.
