Discover the surprising connections between the Dutch textile company Vlisco and Javanese craft traditions, rivalries between Dutch and English textile manufacturers to establish export markets during the 19th and 20th centuries, and the influence of wax print technologies in West and Central African fashion. Vlisco: The Story of Wax Print Textiles highlights three new textiles gifted by Vlisco to the MFAH collections. The works illustrate how in-house designers draw from Vlisco’s extensive archives to adapt and reinterpret classic designs.

 

Founded in 1846 in Helmond, Netherlands, the textile manufacturing company P.F. van Vlissingen and Co.—now known as Vlisco—designs, produces, and distributes wax-resist printed cottons for West and Central African markets and the global African diaspora. Vlisco fabrics are prized for their vivid, dynamic, and mesmerizing designs.