OxFold: Weaving Heritage and Modern Femininity into Fashion

Recognised by Vogue and Vanity Fair and LUXLIFE’s Leaders in Luxury Awards, OxFold has emerged as a distinctive voice in contemporary fashion.

In this conversation, the founder reflects on the brand’s origins, creative process, and evolving vision — revealing how faith, craftsmanship, and cultural depth shape a label built to honour strength, confidence, and modern femininity.

The latest product drop at OxFold

This season also marks a considered expansion of the OxFold wardrobe with the introduction of the Manchette Cotton Shirt and Manchette Cotton Shirt Dress.


These new designs reflect the brand’s ongoing evolution, translating its signature principles of structure, restraint, and refined femininity into elevated everyday pieces. 

Thoughtfully crafted and intentionally understated, they underscore the designer’s commitment to versatility and longevity, offering modern silhouettes that feel effortless yet purposeful – an extension of OxFold’s belief that strength and elegance can exist seamlessly in even the most essential forms. 

In Conversation with OxFold founder Josephine Samura

We spoke with OxFold’s inspiring founder Josephine Samura (CEO and Creative Director) to understand the personal experiences, cultural depth, and guiding principles that inform her approach to design.

OxFold carries such a strong sense of identity and purpose, and your vision is woven into every piece.
How do you balance personal expression with designing for a diverse, style-conscious audience, and looking back at the brand’s beginnings, what inspired you to take the leap and create your own fashion brand?

OxFold is a deeply personal endeavor rooted in faith and my lifelong desire to create beautiful things that inspire people. From a young age, fashion captivated me and I once dreamed of designing for Naomi Campbell.

My journey into the industry was unconventional. I began in retail at Victoria’s Secret, moved into nursing, earned a master’s degree in international development, and later worked as a consultant focused on advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly across Africa. 

Throughout every chapter, creativity remained constant, not only through fashion, but also through designing home décor pieces such as vases and wall art, and styling interiors in my free time.

Founding OxFold was about honoring that instinct while applying the discipline and perspective shaped by life, family, and global experience. I believe education and skill-building are powerful tools for success, and true empowerment comes from cultivating both, designing with intention so women feel seen, confident, and strong.

OxFold is rooted in Sierra Leonean heritage. Could you share the meaning of “OxFold” in Krio, and why the symbolism of braids resonated so deeply as the foundation for your fashion house?

OxFold means braids in Krio, the local language of Sierra Leone. Braids set the status quo for my brand. They embody strength, resilience, and beauty.

All of the designs carry these same qualities: longevity, precision, uniqueness, and confidence for the wearer. Founding a new fashion brand has been a real leap of faith that came with many challenges.

Overcoming these obstacles shows that women can be soft, feminine, and strong at the same time.

This new collection is so stunning, I particularly love the Noir Spark Sequin dress.

What influences, creative, personal, or cultural, shaped the direction of the latest pieces, and what surprised you the most about bringing this new product line to life?

Each collection starts with rigorous research into various fabrics to ensure that they mesh perfectly with every style.

Each piece goes through a lengthy prototyping process with multiple samples in order to meet OxFold’s quality standards.

My pieces aim to accentuate your silhouette and curves. I believe that women can be comfortable with showing some skin while remaining classy. 

The Noir Spark Sequin Dress was inspired by nature, particularly the veins of a leaf, organic, structured, and powerful. It’s designed to celebrate feminine softness like a blossoming flower that breeds confidence. Its delicate yet versatile design really brings out that sassy confidence and celebrates strong femininity.

Your denim line has become a defining part of the brand. What led you to express the ideas of strength, resilience, and longevity through denim in particular?

Denim became the foundation because it demands resilience. Hand-weaving and stitching braided denim required patience, discipline, and precision.

Each braid had to be tight, durable, and distinct, mirroring the strength and beauty I want OxFold to represent.

For someone discovering OxFold for the first time, which pieces both from your legacy offerings and the new collection best capture the essence of what the brand stands for?

The braided denim defines what OxFold is at the core, while newer statement pieces like the Noir Spark Sequin Dress show evolution, bold, confident, and unapologetically feminine.

You’ve often credited your late father’s lessons in patience, perseverance, and discipline. How do those principles guide you in designing collections and navigating business decisions?

My late father sacrificed a lot in order to care for a large family of myself, three siblings, and numerous cousins. He taught us to embrace everyone while finding our place in the world, which is why I never let an opportunity pass me by. 

He would always say, “You don’t have to be rich to look good,” which is why I design each piece to be stunning yet reasonably priced. His lessons in patience, perseverance, and discipline shape every decision I make, from design to business. They remind me that craftsmanship, like success, is built over time.

Building OxFold from concept to reality must have come with meaningful insights. What are some of the most unexpected lessons you’ve learned along the way?

One of the key things that I learned throughout this journey is to focus on quality over quantity.

Soliciting constructive feedback while embracing change and staying committed through challenges has sharpened the process and strengthened the brand’s identity.

A core part of OxFold’s philosophy is empowering individuals through style. How do you want women to feel when they slip into one of your garments, and what story do you hope a customer hears or feels the first time they see or touch an OxFold piece?

Confident, powerful, and elevated. Whether modest or bold, each piece is meant to make the wearer feel secure in her presence and individuality. I believe that clothing should do more than just dress the body. It should affirm identity. When a woman slips into an OxFold garment, I want her to feel grounded, confident, and unmistakably powerful, as if the piece was designed with her presence in mind. 

There’s an ease to that confidence, not loud or performative, but intentional, self-assured, and deeply personal. The pieces are meticulously designed to tell a story: the structure that holds you, the craftsmanship that honors strength, and the softness that allows movement and individuality. Each garment carries a quiet narrative of resilience, heritage, and modern elegance, reminding the wearer that she doesn’t need to shrink, explain, or conform.

Your work balances modern sophistication with cultural depth. How do you ensure that each collection stays true to OxFold’s timeless narrative while still evolving creatively?

For me, evolution at OxFold never means starting over. It means building with intention. Every collection begins by returning to the brand’s core narrative: strength, structure, heritage, and refined femininity.

Those pillars don’t change. They guide every creative decision. What evolves is how they’re expressed, through new silhouettes, materials, and techniques that reflect the present moment without chasing trends.

My background in designing home décor pieces and styling interiors has also shaped how I think about balance, proportion, and restraint, ensuring every element has purpose. Cultural depth is woven in subtly, through craftsmanship, proportion, and detail rather than overt symbolism, so the pieces feel timeless instead of time-bound.

Modern sophistication comes from restraint and precision, knowing when to push creatively and when to let the brand’s identity speak for itself. That discipline allows OxFold to grow and experiment while remaining unmistakably rooted in its story.

The creative process behind a collection often holds as much story as the garments themselves.

Is there a particular detail, challenge, or meaningful moment from developing this new line that you’d like to share with readers?

One of the most meaningful moments in developing this new line was realizing that restraint could be just as powerful as embellishment.

There was a point in the process where I had to edit back, removing elements I loved visually but that didn’t serve the story. That challenge forced me to trust the strength of the silhouette and the intention behind every seam, fold, and finish. 

A particular detail that stayed with me was refining the balance between structure and ease. Getting that right took multiple iterations, but it became symbolic of the woman I design for, strong, composed, and fluid all at once. 

During those more challenging moments, my son Alexander helped me push forward. His natural optimism reminded me to step back, look at the bigger picture, and move through the process with clarity and confidence. That experience reinforced that the real story of a collection isn’t just about what’s added, but what’s chosen, refined, and protected so the final pieces feel honest, purposeful, and enduring.

Lastly, as we are a travel-focused magazine, we would love to learn more about your favourite travel destination — what is it and why?

I have visited many wonderful places, including Dubai, Paris, and Italy. I particularly love Milan because it is such a vibrant fashion hub where everyone is so elegantly dressed.

However, Lake Como in Lombardy truly caught my attention. Its natural beauty deeply inspires me and aligns with my personal style.

I find peace and creative clarity in nature, whether walking along the ocean in the Bahamas or drawing inspiration from the stunning beaches of my home country, Sierra Leone. I’m naturally laidback with a light sense of humor, and that balance of ease and intention often shapes how I design and create.

As OxFold continues to evolve, Josephine Samura’s vision remains grounded in intention, craft, and a deep respect for storytelling through design. Each collection builds quietly yet confidently on the last, inviting women to dress with purpose and presence. To explore the latest pieces, including the newest additions to their fashion collection, visit www.oxfold.co, and follow the brand’s ongoing journey and behind-the-scenes moments on Instagram and Facebook at @oxfoldclothing — where heritage, modernity, and strength continue to unfold.

Inspired by Josephine’s story? Why not take a look at some of our other awe-inspiring conversations?