Mmuso Maxwell and the new masculine

Since its founding in 2016, Mmuso Maxwell, known for its sharp tailoring, minimalism and cultural nuance, has established itself as a defining force in contemporary SA fashion. Now, designers Mmuso Potsane and Maxwell Boko have ushered the Johannesburg-based label into a new era with their debut menswear collection, Obhuti Abatsha.

Unveiled at The Art of Traceability exhibition during Pitti Uomo 107 in Florence earlier this year, the collection situates itself within broader conversations around authorship and sustainability in SA fashion while celebrating the integrity of local material. This latest offering reflects the brand’s longstanding commitment to ethical production, placing craftsmanship and regional economies front and centre.

Made from traceable Merino wool in collaboration with Cape Wools SA, the collection is as much a study in sustainability as it is in self-expression. The wool, known globally for its exceptional quality, links 8,000 commercial farmers and over 45,000 communal and emerging producers across the country.

From wool sourced and processed at Gerber & Co’s farm to its final form via Vuya Knitwear, Mmuso Maxwell’s quarter-zip knit jersey from the collection is produced entirely within SA borders, with the entire collection as a blueprint for circular, conscious design.

The title, meaning “new men,” holds multitudes for the design duo. “It felt fitting because this collection is about redefining what brotherhood and masculinity look like today,” says Potsane. “It’s about creating space for modern rites of passage, for men to see themselves in what they wear.”

The collection interrogates how this identity and accompanying notions are formed, inherited and self-determined. “We hope the collection inspires pride. Pride in where we come from, and in the possibility of telling our own stories with care and precision,” Potsane says.

Tension between the ceremonial and the contemporary, long a hallmark of the brand, is recalibrated to discover what it means to dress like a man today. “There’s also an element of rebirth,” adds Boko. It honours the old while embracing the new. “‘Abatsha’ evokes youth, newness, possibility.” 

The garments speak in a dialect of tailoring and fluidity: longline coats, fitted trousers, and soft suiting in a warm but refined palette of navy, chocolate, red, caramel, grey and cream. A standout navy double-breasted blazer with generous 1970s lapels nods to heritage menswear codes, the collection as a whole simultaneously resists and embraces nostalgia. Through Mmuso Maxwell’s minimalist, modernist lens, these shapes are reframed, deconstructed, rebuilt, and reimagined.

Yet nothing here feels recycled. The collection resists pastiche by drawing on their celebrated design DNA — crisp finishing, signature seam work and placement, for example. Rather than a departure, Obhuti Abatsha reads as a sibling to the label’s previous womenswear collections, “We allowed it to develop its rhythm, even if there are echoes of where we’ve been,” Boko said.

While the collection draws energy from SA’s diverse cultural lexicon, Basotho blankets, Xhosa beadwork and ceremonial attire, its influence is spiritual, not literal. Potsane said, “It was more about the spirit, the way garments carry meaning.”

The pair view their foray into menswear as a natural extension of their ethos and a deepening of their design language. “[Obuthi Abatsha is] a perfect metaphor for where we are in our creative journey,” said Boko.

Designing the collection, they said, sharpened their roles but didn’t change their rhythm. “We respect each other’s instincts. Some days I’d lead, other days Maxwell would take it forward. It’s a dance, really,” Potsane said.

The collection leans into cuts that accentuate the body with ease and elegance: mid- and high-rise straight-cut trousers that gently puddle at the feet; a playful cape-like bishop-sleeved shirt, and the boxy keyhole-detailed top suggests authority and grace. Even in their simplicity, they do not disappear into the background.

The Obhuti Abatsha man is imagined as someone deeply rooted in his identity, yet open to evolution. “He values tradition but is not bound by it,” said Boko. “His life is textured, maybe he’s in the arts, education, or entrepreneurship, but he moves with intention.” Potsane added: “He dresses with awareness. Not just of style, but of impact. He believes in quality and identity as forms of resistance.”

The personal and the political converge in their favourite pieces. For Boko, it’s the red shirt and trouser set printed with a hand-drawn sketch of his aunt. “It’s personal, but also universal. It holds memory, femininity, and reverence within a menswear silhouette. It represents the emotional dimension we want to bring to everything we make.”

For Potsane, it’s the longline chocolate brown coat. “It’s a modern heirloom, luxurious, grounded, timeless. It encapsulates everything we strive for.”

If conventional menswear has been a fortress of rigidity, hard lines and fixed roles, then Obhuti Abatsha feels like a breath of air with strength and vulnerability. 

Far from a one-off statement, it marks the beginning of an ongoing dialogue. “Menswear is now part of our narrative and we’re excited to build on it,” they said. The duo view Obuthi Abatsha as a clear affirmation that menswear from SA can be both commercially viable and conceptually rigorous.