The original article was written for and published as a Chivas Regal feature in Forbes Africa February 2017 edition.

South Africa’s top knitwear designer, Laduma Ngxokolo, credits his inspiration and success to his late mother, Lindelwa, who not only taught him how to hand-machine knit by the age of sixteen, but instilled in him the importance of his Xhosa heritage. Lindelwa was patron of the Xhosa heritage, who taught her son the impact that comes from involving your inheritance and community in your business.

For this reason, fellow social entrepreneur and presenter of ‘Chivas, Win the Right Way’, Audu Maikori wants to acknowledge and celebrate Laduma as one of Africa’s finest social entrepreneurs.

‘Chivas, Win the Right Way’ is a TV series on CNBC Africa, featuring Africa’s most inspiring social entrepreneurs. The series celebrates entrepreneurs who run their business based on profit with purpose, and use their shared success to inspire other African entrepreneurs to join a growing movement.

Laduma is a modern gentleman who feels growing up alone played an essential part in his determination to succeed. From a very young age, after his mother passed, he had his eyes set on graduating from the world’s best schools and not let challenges outstrip him of possibilities. “When you establish a business you know your mother would be intensely proud of, you can imagine how supportive she would have been today.”

So what started as a project in university in 2010 turned into what we know today as MaXhosa by Laduma. The vision was to create a modern Xhosa-inspired knitwear collection that would be suitable for amakrwala (Xhosa initiates), who are prescribed by tradition to dress up in new, dignified, formal clothing.

“Fashion is more than just clothes. It’s a cultural identity, self-expression, and it’s an art form that informs trends.” Laduma says.

For someone who has undergone the ritual himself, he felt that he needed to develop a premium knitwear range that celebrated traditional Xhosa beadwork aesthetics, using mohair and wool sourced from Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Laduma is involved in almost every part of the supply chain, from ensuring the correct grade of fibre is at the washing plant, to choosing the colour he wants during the spinning process. “As a business owner, you must be aware of everything that is taking place in your company and support your people where needed.”

MaXhosa by Laduma does have a choice to source from China but chooses not to. “We have sacrificed a certain portion of profit, to make sure we are supporting local employment.” The reward is greater than revenue as this business model enriches people’s lives and allows for local economic growth. From the Angora goat farmers in Port Elizabeth, to the employees at the Newtown Factory.

Sourcing locally is one of the most important factors forMaXhosa by Laduma as it extends beyond creating resident employment, but also embeds the ideology Laduma wants South Africans to embrace. “South African designers and social entrepreneurs need to develop their own voices in order for them to represent African fashion and business in their own style. They should not feel the need to appeal to a certain market in order to sell their range. They have to appeal to themselves and then opportunity will find them.”

Considered an international agent of change, Laduma shifts and evolves with the changing times and creates a dialogue that pushes Xhosa culture into the future. “I’ve grown in terms of my design. Because I have traveled to many different countries my knowledge, exposure and experience have grown, and I believe I am able to design collections that can be positioned as among the best in the world.”

For this reason, Maxhosa by Laduma has a positive psychological impact on the community. Having appeared in global and local features, the success of the brand is inspiring young Africans and entrepreneurs to pursue business ideas that celebrate local culture. “What we do has brought a fresh aspiration to the youth.”

Laduma also feels more private businesses should take on the responsibility of uplifting social entrepreneurs, not necessarily through financial support, but in the form of enterprise development by offering other services such as legal assistance from a law firm.

Laduma truly encapsulates the ‘never-stop-learning’ attitude of a social entrepreneur. He has just finished his Masters at the Central St. Martins in London and is fascinated with the brand’s expansion in 2017.

His spirit is inevitably inspiring and most certainly has him winning the right way. “Working hard is the best recipe, talent is not. With hard work, anything can be achieved.” This is evident in the final product range from Maxhosa by Laduma that compromises expectations and surprises with exceptionality through and through.