viva vlisco…

…dutch wax prints!

i have just been turned on by the most amazing textile design house ever! vlisco hollandais is a dutch wax print company that has been around since 1846 and is inarguably the best west african print product available for well to do african consumers. their handling of color is unmistakably bold, sophisticated, and most definitely outside of the box yet they are careful to tie back to west africa’s traditional heritage in textiles.

they do four collections a year with february of 2012 being their latest release entitled “silent empire”:

these fabrics in the new and archived collections leave me at a complete loss for words to describe the visual impact and energy they exude. i love the styling with references to eastern influences which tie in amazingly well with the strong flow of the patterns. these prints express so much strength and glamor that any woman could easily command all eyes when entering a room.

the sewn pieces themselves are sick to say the least but alas, vlisco only sells yardage not garments and collaborate with designers to create for their collections. while there aren’t many stockists carrying african designers in the u.s., you can still shop on-line boutiques like my asho who carry jewel by lisa, heritage 1960 who carried j label the diffusion line by lisa folawiyo and agnes & lola.