An inspirational fashion film like no other. By South African designer, Laduma Ngxokolo

'My heritage, my inheritance' is the new fashion film by South African designer: Laduma Ngxokolo - a Xhosa man from the Mpondo Clan whose knitwear fashion line is inspired by the Xhosa ritual/culture and heritage of circumcision.

Laduma Ngoxokolo's fashion film offers a different perspective of the ritual and underscores the deeper meaning behind the brand which is about the preservation of culture. The film describes the tradition, its purpose and highlights the sentiments felt by the young men at different stages of the healing process on their journey to recovery as they transition from boys to honourable men.

Greetings

Look into my eyes what Do you see?

I see a man, the man I was destined to be

In the world of the Xhosa, to become an honourable man, one must go to the bush

One must be initiated

That is the rite of passage

Down the lonely road of transformation you face your demons

You speak to the spirits and you get to know your ancestors

There are some days when you wonder if you'll make it

Some souls pass on and join the ancestors in peace

One cannot heal without enduring the hardship 

All I have to protect me is white ochre and my traditional cloak

It keeps me alive. And humble

During initiation, I learnt that no one can carry your manhood for you 

I learnt that you have to choose to be a man

I learnt about respect, for yourself and others

I learnt to rise up to my responsibilities

To value family and people

A person is person because of other people

I was taught to be a voice for those who can't speak for themselves.

I learnt to be a shield

To remain confident at all times

To stick to my word

To embrace my struggles

You are a product if the ones that lived before you

Be a messenger of your culture and heritage

I will carry our heritage into the future

And these robes celebrate who I am.

I am Laduma Ngxokolo

A descendant from the Mpondo Clan