For almost 180 years, Vlisco has transformed print into a language of colour, identity and storytelling. Rooted in the Netherlands and deeply connected to generations of communities across West and Central Africa, the house has built a legacy that extends far beyond textiles. Now, with Vlisco Dialogues, that heritage enters a new chapter, expanding into ready-to-wear, interiors, art and design. Ahead of its Amsterdam Fashion Week debut, we speak with Vlisco about its evolving identity, the stories held within its vast archive and Voices of the Sun, the SS27 collection opening the door to a wider World of Vlisco.
For nearly 180 years, Vlisco has occupied a unique position at the intersection of Dutch design and African cultural heritage. How would you describe the brand’s identity today?
Vlisco has always existed at the intersection of different worlds. For almost 180 years, we have combined innovation, craftsmanship and print design to create some of the most distinctive fabrics in the world. Rooted in the Indonesian wax-based batik technique, our prints are designed and still drawn by hand in the Netherlands today, combining time-honoured methods with a constant drive to innovate.
But the story of a Vlisco print doesn’t end with us. Over generations, women and communities across West and Central Africa have worn our fabrics, named our prints and given them new meanings, creating a rich cultural language and tradition of storytelling around them. Artists and creatives around the world have also used Vlisco prints as vehicles for self-expression across fashion, art and design.
Today, we see Vlisco as a design house built on this continuous exchange between cultures, craftsmanship and innovation, heritage and reinvention. That dialogue is what makes Vlisco unique.
For someone familiar with Vlisco but new to Vlisco Dialogues, how would you describe Vlisco Dialogues?
Vlisco Dialogues is a lifestyle brand that brings the World of Vlisco into a contemporary space through finished products and experiences. It builds on almost 180 years of textile heritage, opening it up to new conversations through ready-to-wear, accessories, interiors, art and creative collaborations for a global audience.
The word Dialogues is important because we don’t see heritage as something static or something to simply reproduce. We see it as something living, a space where our archive can meet contemporary voices, cultures and disciplines and be interpreted in unexpected ways.
At its heart, Vlisco Dialogues is about transforming the extraordinary World of Vlisco into a way of life that everyone can be part of.
Vlisco Dialogues marks a significant evolution for the brand, expanding beyond textiles into ready-to-wear, interiors and new creative collaborations. What prompted this new chapter?
It really began with the archive. Vlisco has one of the most extraordinary textile archives in the world, with almost 180 years of print, colour, craftsmanship and storytelling, yet it still feels full of endless possibilities, stories and discoveries waiting to be shared.
That inspired us to think beyond textiles and towards the World of Vlisco, where our creativity can live through fashion, interiors, objects and experiences.
Vlisco Dialogues is about unlocking that potential: honouring our heritage while creating space for new discoveries, interpretations and stories.
Throughout its history, Vlisco has collaborated with artists, designers and image-makers from many different disciplines. What makes someone the right creative partner for the brand?
We are drawn to people with a distinct point of view, but above all, people with a good story to tell. Our dialogue with West and Central Africa remains at the heart of what we do, so working with both emerging and established artists, designers and makers from these worlds is incredibly important to us. At the same time, we are curious about craftsmanship, art, design and innovation in a much broader sense. We are particularly inspired by people who use their work as a vehicle for self-expression and storytelling.
Ultimately, the best collaborations create something neither side would have arrived at alone. That is the meaning of Dialogues for us: when unexpected worlds collide and something new emerges.
During AFW26, you will be presenting your SS27 collection. How did the concept Voices of the Sun come to life?
Voices of the Sun is the name of our SS27 collection, but what we are presenting at Amsterdam Fashion Week goes beyond a season. It is really a first glimpse into the wider World of Vlisco: where we come from, what inspires us, our philosophy, and the new way of life we are creating through Vlisco Dialogues.
The sun is an important symbol within Vlisco Dialogues. It is our brand mark, but for us it also represents energy, warmth, creativity and possibility. There is something beautifully universal about it: wherever we come from, we all share the same sun.
Voices of the Sun explores that idea through different perspectives. There is never just one Vlisco story or one way of wearing or interpreting a print. Every person brings their own voice, identity and experience. During the presentation, that philosophy will be expressed through a wider diversity of garments, interior pieces, print, colour and storytelling. It is less about presenting one season in isolation and more about inviting people into the World of Vlisco and showing the possibilities within it.
We want people to experience Vlisco Dialogues as more than something you wear. It is a world you can live with and make your own, a new way of life built around colour, creativity, craftsmanship, storytelling and joy.
Although Vlisco is internationally recognised, its roots remain in the Netherlands. What makes Amsterdam Fashion Week the right place to introduce this new chapter?
Amsterdam is now the home base of Vlisco Dialogues, and the city represents much of what we stand for: an exchange of cultures, ideas and creative perspectives. Vlisco has always been rooted in the south of the Netherlands, so it feels exciting and meaningful to bring the World of Vlisco to the capital as well.
Amsterdam Fashion Week feels like the right moment to celebrate that: to open up our world, bring different people and perspectives together, and share this new chapter of Vlisco with a wider audience.
What do you hope people will associate with the name Vlisco in the years ahead?
When people hear the name Vlisco, we hope they think of extraordinary print and colour, exceptional design and craftsmanship, and above all, storytelling. Things made with care and intention, with meaning, that can be lived with and cherished for generations.
We hope they associate Vlisco with the beautiful and unexpected things that happen when different worlds, cultures and perspectives meet, with curiosity, creativity and the endless possibilities that come from that exchange.
And ultimately, with meaningful optimism: joy, inspiration, connection, stories worth telling and memories worth sharing. Because after all, we all share the same sun.