Vlisco was established in 1846 in Helmond, the Netherlands, when Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen (1826-1868) bought a textile printing factory and called it P. Fentener van Vlissingen & Co. The name was changed in 1927 to the more familiar Vlisco, an abbreviation of Vlissingen & Co.
The initial products of the company included printed handkerchiefs, kerchiefs, bedspreads and chintz-style cloths. In the mid-19th century, however, the company started to produce and export imitation batiks from what were then the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). These were not made in the Indonesian manner of hand-resist dying using wax. Instead the cloth was roller printed on large machines. Nowadays a Vlisco textile is printed on both sides of the cloth and may go through up to 27 different treatments and take two weeks to produce.
Vlisco and West Africa
In about 1852 Vlisco cloth was being traded with various West African ports, by then still administered by Dutch colonial officials, and it soon became popular in much of the area. In addition, Ghanaian soldiers serving in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army between 1837-1872 saw wax batiks in Indonesia and brought textiles and the interest in these textiles back with them to Ghana and other parts of West Africa, thereby reinforcing the growing popularity of these textiles.
Vlisco wax cloth produced for the West African market (TRC 2022.2264).
Vlisco cotton wax cloth for the West African market, possibly inspired by Japanese prints (TRC 2022.2367).The company produced batik-style textiles for both the Indonesian (Java wax-print) and West African (Wax hollandais) markets. The Wax hollandais designs were inspired by a wide variety of sources from China, India, Indonesia, Africa and Europe.
Due to their popularity and expensive nature, Vlisco designs were soon copied and adapted to local production techniques, tastes and financial resources. From 1963 onwards, to counteract the widespread imitation of their cloths, all Vlisco fabrics have a selvedge text that states: “Guaranteed Dutch Wax Vlisco” as well as a design number printed on both selvedges.
Popular designs are repeated about every 25 years (one generation), and all designs have a particular name, so that it is possible to send silent messages based on the patterns worn – such as Prancing Horses and Caged Birds. Most of these names are of local origin and are not given by the producers.
