Retail

The English immigrant who built a South African clothing empire

Kirsten Minnaar • 4 November 2025

During the 1870s, English tailor Henry William Markham founded one of South Africa’s oldest clothing companies – Markham.

Today, Markham is still one of South Africa’s largest and most popular clothing brands, with over 300 locations across the country.

In 1873, English immigrant and master tailor Henry William Markham founded Markham, a gentleman’s clothing store, in Adderley Street, Cape Town.

The brand quickly gained a reputation for selling sophisticated, expertly crafted garments, cementing it as a trusted name in South Africa’s fashion landscape.

Over the next 20 years, Markham worked to build up the Cape Town business before expanding to Johannesburg in 1897.

Markham was one of the first retail businesses established in Johannesburg, which was expanding rapidly due to the city’s gold rush.

Here, the company’s six-story building, located on the corner of Eloff and Pritchard Streets, became the highest building in Johannesburg, a title which it held until the 1920s.

This Markham building is an iconic piece of South African architecture and is considered a Johannesburg landmark.

It was designed in the Second Empire Style (French Neo-Baroque) and is the only surviving example of commercial architecture in this style. The design is based on a portion of the facade of the Louvre in Paris.

The structure of the Markham building was a notable achievement in its time, featuring load-bearing brick walls and cast-iron stanchions that supported the internal structure.

The partially red brick and plastered wall surface is heavily moulded with classical textures such as pilasters, cornices and balustrades.

Originally, the building was surrounded on its street front by a verandah at ground floor level, which was later replaced by a reinforced canopy.

The brickwork was more recently plastered, and some of the detail was lost. Nevertheless, the building still retained most of its character and sound construction.

The building was lavishly decorated in 1897 for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne and also for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.

Markham’s Building did not stand alone for long, as it was soon joined by Cuthbert’s in 1904 and Chudleigh’s, now the OK Bazaars, in 1912.

Becoming a retail giant

In the coming decades, the business continued to grow its footprint. However, it faced challenges as the retail landscape changed and competition increased.

More clothing companies started making their way onto the scene, such as Edgars, which was founded in 1929, and Woolworths, which came to South Africa in 1931.

In 1968, Markham was acquired by JSE-listed The Foschini Group (TFG), which was founded in 1924. Markham was one of the company’s earliest acquisitions, along with American Swiss and Sterns.

During the 1970s, malls were becoming more popular in South Africa, which made it difficult for traditional retailers like Markham to compete.

The Pritchard Street building was also at risk of being demolished as urban development took off in the city. Fortunately, preservation efforts saved the building.

To keep up with the changing tides, Markham adopted a new strategy – the business wanted to maintain its focus on quality, while also appealing to a broader consumer base.

It implemented modern retail strategies to meet the demand of the new generation of consumers. This approach allowed Marham to become one of South Africa’s biggest clothing brands.

According to TFG’s latest annual results, Markham currently has 369 outlets across South Africa, making it one of the group’s biggest brands.

The brand now offers “on-trend” smart and casual wear, including footwear, accessories and fragrances. Markham now targets men aged 18 to 35 in South Africa’s mid-market.