“We’re the new voices taking African fashion to the world. So, for someone to experience all of us in one space, in one week, is quite valuable and very rare,” says Laduma Ngxokolo of Confections x Collections (CxC), the annual slow fashion showcase at Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel. I meet the Maxhosa Africa founder at his Cape Town store, which nestles next to Gucci and Zegna at the V&A Waterfront and is one of eight Maxhosa storefronts across South Africa and the US. Along with a production base in Johannesburg, the brand employs 350 people, making it one of this country’s biggest fashion exports – yet rarely does it take part in local fashion weeks. So, the fact that Ngxokolo has chosen to bless the third edition of CxC is testament to how the event is beginning to set the standard, not only in Cape Town but across the continent.

Curated by sustainability platform Twyg, CxC puts the onus on intimate salon-style presentations and pairs shows with afternoon teas inspired by each designer’s work. It’s an opportunity to get up close to its line-up of exceptional designers to learn more about their practice and this year, the showcase has expanded from South African talent to reaching across to Nigeria, too. Its growing ambition is part of Mount Nelson’s 125th anniversary activations that bed the storied hotel within Cape Town’s diverse creative community. The exhibition ‘Against the Bias: Unravelling Material Codes’, curated by Reservoir, compliments proceedings with artworks by the likes of Lakin Ogunbanwo, Athi-Patra Ruga and Mia Chaplin ready to be discovered throughout the property. Meanwhile the CxC designers are honoured by window displays and a showroom at nearby concept store AKJP, and after dark, some of them also double up as DJs at parties across the city. It’s this well considered showcasing of conscious creativity that puts CxC a head above the rest.

Four days of solo shows begins with Rich Mnisi, who presents his ‘Nambu’ collection. It’s a more demure offering than we’re use used to from this exuberant designer yet still channels the brand’s signature sexiness. Ladylike and racy all at once, pleated skirts, revealing knits and plunging swimwear is revved up with corsets and do-rags. “Nambu means ‘river’ and the collection is all about feelings, in a sense,” Mnisi explains. “I’m speaking from an honest place, telling stories about home, so the prints are inspired by my Tsonga tribe and the colour palette is quite soft but then there’s this crazy red, which symbolises pain.” Of CxC, he adds: “It’s beautiful how this event connects people from all over Africa. We’re all here to exchange with one another and reshape the African luxury narrative.”

Adeju Thompson of Lagos Space Programme, a regular at Paris Fashion Week, chooses to make his South African debut with a show that draws from the label’s past three seasonal collections to introduce his queer eye on Yoruba and European dress codes to a new audience. The mood is regal yet fruity, with shirts cut to the navel and cowboy trousers with jockstrap detailing alongside blouses and skirts in post adire silks. His heavenly textures, from tufted wool overcoats to beaded bags that cascade to the floor, exhibit his dedication to Nigerian handcraftsmanship. “This is a pivotal moment in my career so it’s interesting to reflect on my journey by bringing these collections together to tell a new story,” Thompson tells me. “Fashion is so fast. It’s always, ‘What’s next?’ but here I’m allowed to exist in my own multiverse. I design from a vulnerable space to create my own version of what Nigerian fashion is.”

Bubu Ogisi presents IAMISIGO’S SS25 offering, ‘Heaven, Earth and Below’, fresh from her Lagos Fashion Week show. Crafted between Kenya and Nigeria, and made completely by hand, each piece is a true work of art. Upcycled plastic beading forms patchwork sheaths and aprons that make the most of the side boob. Crochet appears as bikinis, gloves and leg warmers. Brass chainmail twinkles like a celestial symphony across the female form. And precious glass accessories are held with tender care. “The collection continues my ideas around generating a feminine divine by translating what the feminine body can be in a space,” Ogisi explains. “The ritual act of crafting with artisans in order to manipulate materials is a way to impact traditions, create a new language and to decolonise the mind.”

“The collection is a celebration of craft and of human ingenuity. As an artist, it enriches my practice to work closely with textile communities to understand the provenance and integrity of the materials,” Mdingi says. “Plus, there’s a bigger picture to showcasing it at CxC. I’m honoured to be part of something so extraordinary, which has allowed us to create a universe that brings the brand home. There’s nothing better than presenting in front of friends and family who have always supported me.”

The fifth and final day sees a reprise of these four designers plus the return of all CxC alumni for a catwalk show along Mount Nelson’s palm tree-lined driveway. If ever there was a perfect backdrop for taking in 11 of Africa’s finest fashion activists, this is it. The breeze blows, the sun ebbs, Zoe Modeka sings, and esteemed guests from across the globe – among them Thebe Magugu, Mija Knezevic, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Omoyemi Akerele, Trevor Stuurman and Toni Blaze – gather to enjoy this spectacular moment.

Sindiso Khumalo delivers a dose of sugar and spice with her line-up of sun dresses, quilted jackets and embroidered blouses in delightfully girlie prints and hues. Each of her collections is an exercise in textile development and social impact as she works with women’s groups, meaning it can take weeks for one pretty piece to emerge. But it’s always worth the wait. “It’s a learning every season as we explore different techniques. This collection is about embracing the innocent side of yourself,” Khumalo shares.

Ngxokolo brings the best of Maxhosa’s famed Xhosa-inspired knitwear to the fore with more directional blanket-style looks mixing with his best-selling pieces such as polo shirts, bucket hats and bib vests. A riot of colour and pride, Ngxokolo shows how lifestyle brands can be done, and is playing his part in building a bigger dream. “I hope that one day, South Africa will be one of the centre points of fashion. Its far to come but we have what it takes.”

Proving this point is MmusoMaxwell whose refined tailoring and minimalist styling presents a very different yet equally well executed point of view on South African style. Standout pieces from the award-winning duo such as keyhole jackets, caped dresses and office-ready two-pieces are impeccably cut from merino wool, dark denim and felt.

Lezanne Viviers of Viviers Studio unveils her SS25 ‘Disclosure’ collection, which she describes as “a quest to demand personal truths and ask questions about universal truths. It’s about raising your consciousness because if you can change your thoughts, you can change your reality.” This translates into conceptual pieces taking on amorphous and fluid shapes in metallic and mesh finishes. Hard meets soft, feminine meets masculine, and Earthlings meets UFOs in this esoteric offering.

Conversely, Mantsho by Palesa Mokubung keeps it real with her gracefully cocooning dresses and hourglass tailoring, many pieces featuring swirling prints of her brand signature. The most seasoned of the designers here today, this show marks her 20th year in fashion. “I make clothes that celebrate the sacrifices that women have to make in order to thrive in this world. I know what it takes so these looks allow you to be beautifully you,” she remarks. Meanwhile Chulaap by Chu Suwannapha puts a smile on all of our faces with a collection inspired by the humble pot plant. Statement suits with sporty influences are covered in florals, tweeds and stripes and topped off with flower-strewn hats in collaboration with Crystal Birch.

The last runway goes to Wanda LePhoto and his joyful ‘Spirits’ collection. Keeping it loose and easy, we see his everyday suiting covered in check, stripes and animal prints and topped off with deerstalker hats and calabash bags. “If you are in a position of being a leader, you must always look back to carry the people who come after you. That’s the essence of spirituality in African art. You are responsible for the space you take up,” LePhoto explains of the message behind the collection. These sentiments ring true of everything we’ve experienced at CxC. While each designer has their own vision, they’re all wedded to using their voices to fostering a healing and collective future. This growing community of sustainability pioneers is leading the way. Don’t follow at your peril.