The future is now: South African fashion blends heritage and sustainability
Sindiso Khumalo has built her global reputation on sustainable textiles rooted in heritage.
Image: Supplied
Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the traditions that have shaped our identity.
Few cultural expressions capture that spirit more vividly than fashion.
From Shweshwe’s indigo swirls to the bold geometry of Xhosa and Ndebele prints, our fabrics aren’t just decorative.
They carry history, pride, and storytelling.
Now, a new generation of designers is proving these textiles are also part of fashion’s future.
By merging heritage with sustainability, they’re creating clothes that honour the past while responding to today’s call for more responsible design.
Sindiso Khumalo
Cape Town–based designer Sindiso Khumalo has built her global reputation on sustainable textiles rooted in heritage.
Her collections use natural fibres, handwoven fabrics, and prints inspired by her Zulu and Ndebele lineage.
“My creations always highlight my African heritage and history, with sustainability, craft and empowerment at the heart,” she told Grazia.
For Khumalo, sustainability isn’t a passing trend. It’s a way to slow down fashion and return meaning to clothing.
As she explained in a Design Indaba talk, her work is about “bringing the value of the hand back into a contemporary setting.”
Laduma Ngxokolo
Few designers embody heritage more boldly than Laduma Ngxokolo, the founder of Maxhosa Africa.
His vibrant knitwear, inspired by traditional Xhosa patterns, has become an international success. For him, heritage and sustainability go hand in hand.
“Our culture has always been sustainable,” he told CNN Style.
“We have garments that are passed from generation to generation. The challenge now is to make sure that, in a modern fashion economy, we don’t lose those values.”
Maxhosa is putting those principles into action. Earlier this year, Ngxokolo hosted his brand’s first sustainability festival, saying that their focus is on culture, but sustainability practices remain the core of our brand.
Lukhanyo Mdingi
Rising star Lukhanyo Mdingi, winner of the 2021 LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize, has made a name for himself by blending contemporary design with artisanal craft.
His brand frequently collaborates with South African makers, producing refined garments that showcase the value of handmade craftsmanship.
“There is a certain kind of honesty that comes with something that has been created with human hands,” he told The Fashionography.
“There is a kind of sincerity woven within the fabric of our pieces.”
Mdingi’s collaborations with the Ethical Fashion Initiative also reflect this ethos.
A heritage future
What unites these voices is a simple idea: that African fashion has always been sustainable.
Garments were made to last, passed down through families, and deeply rooted in culture.
Today, as the global fashion industry faces a reckoning over waste and overproduction, South African designers are proving that the answers can be found in their heritage.
As Khumalo summed up in a Business of Fashion interview: “African fashion is about storytelling. Sustainability is embedded in that. It’s about making pieces that mean something and last.”
This Heritage Month, wearing local fabrics isn’t just about celebrating where we come from.
It’s about investing in a proudly South African fashion future built on culture, sustainability, and style.
IOL Lifestyle