WATCH | Miss SA Zozibini Tunzi rules the runway in MaXhosa at New York Fashion Week

For his New York Fashion Week debut, lauded local designer Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa showed a collection titled 'We Are Kings and Queens'. So it's only fitting that two South African beauty queens were among the models strutting the runway in his distinctive Xhosa-inspired designs.

Newly minted Miss SA Zozibini Tunzi looked positively regal in a black-and-white gown with striking beaded detailing.

She posted about the experience on Instagram saying, "Dreamwalking in New York Fashion Week with all the conviction granted to me by God and my ancestors. I couldn't be more happier to have had the opportunity to do it with my South African brother [Laduma Ngxokolo]".

Former Miss SA/Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters also graced the catwalk; she donned a more casual MaXhosa ensemble that was a riot of playful prints and colours. Nel-Peters said on social media that she was "honoured" to have been part of the designer's "beautiful show". 

Ngxokolo showcased his striking designs alongside Belgian-born Mozambican designer Eliana Murargy as part of the 'Made in Africa' show at Pier59 Studios on Thursday.

Elaborating on the royal theme of his Spring/Summer 2020 collection, Ngxokolo told The Hollywood Reporter: "The statement to me is that royalty doesn’t have to be attached to the monarchy or royal blood. It's saying that every African person, every black person, is a king and a queen, and they should look at themselves in that way and never diminish themselves among society; they must look at themselves in a more optimistic way through clothes, because that is the first impression, before you even open your mouth, people see what you wear. That is how we should represent ourselves.”

While this is the first time Ngxokolo has shown at New York Fashion Week, it's not the first time he's made a splash in the Big Apple. Earlier this month, one of the designer's kaftans was featured in the window of Bloomingdale's, the famed luxury department store, as part of their Lion King-inspired pop-up shop.