Vintage Sharing Session - Vlisco, the Chanel of Africa

In Helmond, Holland, a remote and unknown town, Vlisco produces African haute couture.

"African wax" has been dominating the African market with its own signature prints since the colonial era. And this small, seemingly unassuming factory, with its brightly patterned batik fabrics, has been popular in Africa for nearly 170 years now, making it the Chanel of Africa.

So why, as a Dutch fabric maker, did it take Africa by storm?

In fact, in the beginning, Vlisco's target market was Indonesia. Back in 1864, Amsterdam entrepreneur Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen began producing fabrics modeled after Indonesian batik techniques.

Since the traditional batik technique was time-consuming, Pieter revolutionized the technique, scaled up the production of batik fabrics, and began selling the finished products to Indonesia.

The results, however, have been nothing short of spectacular.

While the technology was revolutionized and the scale of production expanded, the quality was not to the liking of the locals. Due to the mass production, it led to cracks in the fabric in the process of making. Therefore, even if the price is low, the local sales situation in Indonesia can be said to be extremely grim.

It was at this time that the fabrics were accidentally spotted by buyers in Africa. They were attracted to this imperfection of the fabric and felt that it was a unique symbol. Coupled with the fact that it was printed on both sides, the buyers felt like they had found a treasure that was very much suited to their local aesthetic and usage.

Then the market basically shifted from Indonesia to Africa. Although the whole trend of the market changed for the better, unlike the previous positioning, the transportation of fabric from the Netherlands to Africa in the 1970s, when technology was not yet developed, was a cumbersome and difficult process. As a result, the price of transportation increased. It also meant that Vlisco was no longer a cheap batik print.

Because of the increase in cost, the selling price of the fabric was raised, so at that time in Africa, this batik silver was considered an expensive luxury item.

At one time, it was called "African Chanel".

In the decades that followed, the gap between the Netherlands and Africa was slowly broken, and in 1894, in order to better penetrate the African market, Vlisco boldly innovated the printing of the fabric, making it more adaptable to the needs of African customers.

Until 1930, Vlisco was influential as a top fashion brand in West and Central Africa.

African women loved to buy the fabrics and hand them over to local seamstresses, who worked one-on-one to design their own personalized and tasteful garments.

So, is there more to Vlisco than the texture of the fabric?

Yes, there are more than 300,000 prints on Vlisco fabrics, and many of them still sell well today. Here are a few representative prints:

This print, called "Si tu sors, je sors" (If you're going, I'm not staying), was used by women to warn their men to be brave enough to take on the burdens of marriage:

This print, depicting a flock of chickens, is a great example of how a man can be a good husband. depicts a flock of chicks, hens, and a rooster with only a head, suggesting that the woman is the head of the family and that her husband is as incapable as the rooster without a body:

Ranch women usually wore fabrics with horses on them because it echoed them:

This pattern was designed in 1940 and is called "Six Cylinders". "Six Bougies." The pattern has evolved and developed with history and has been interpreted in different ways.

Originally, it suggested economic prosperity, with the wealthy able to afford six cars at one point, but later, when "eight bougies" appeared, it became a symbol of great heterosexual attraction:

The fabric, called "ABC", has a darker coloring on it, and the pattern has a darker coloring on it. The fabric with the "ABC" pattern, with blackboards, letters and books on it, alludes to educational background:

It is worth mentioning that after Mrs. Obama's visit to Ghana, the pattern "Michelle Obama's Tote Bag" was created, which undoubtedly reflects the respect of the African people for President Obama. This is a tribute to President Obama by the people of Africa.

On the other hand, it also shows that Vlisco's pattern design follows the times and embodies the spirit of innovation.

Besides these, Vlisco also creates patterns inspired by everyday objects and hobbies, reflecting the little things in life and making the ordinary interesting.

In fabric patterns, there is nothing you can't find, only what you didn't expect.

The African women had to keep the "Guaranteed Dutch Wax Vlisco" on the edges of their clothes to show that they were wearing the real Vlisco.

Of course, in addition to the African women, the manufacturers could not tolerate this kind of copycat. The manufacturer can't tolerate this kind of cottage industry either. In this case, Vlisco has partnered with a British group to create its own brand in order to increase value.

In addition to this, it has also explored more innovativeness by collaborating with many famous designers such as Junya Watanabe and old boy Jean Paul Gaultier.

Vlisco's collaboration with Duro Olowu:

Vlisco's "Hommage a l'Art" clothing collection:

Vlisco's "The Funky The Funky Grooves collection:

The collaboration not only broadens the brand's reach into the high fashion world, but also increases its visibility to different demographics.

In addition to collaborating with master fashion designers, Vlisco also collaborates with brands such as Adidas, Eastpak, and Woolrich, launching a number of items with prints in an attempt to tap into the market for younger consumers.

Vlisco and Adidas:

Vlisco and Eastpak:

For more than 100 years, the Dutch brand has been trying to break out of the confines of the African market. Like its prints, it has continued to innovate and evolve with the times, gradually and steadily going global and changing the way people think about prints.

Bye~

(Photo text by Vintage Sharing Club, graphic by Lip Dot Tanzanite Red)