MILAN — Vlisco has a new retail concept, courtesy of the OMA architectural studio.
The Dutch maker of bold and colorful printed textiles marketed mainly in West and Central Africa has opened Vlisco 30 Juin, a new flagship in the heart of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Designed in collaboration with the acclaimed architectural firm that’s also behind the likes of Fondazione Prada in Milan, Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles and Faena Forum in Miami, the store celebrates Vlisco’s evolving legacy in the country, where its fabrics have long been cherished as cultural treasures. More pragmatically, the unit is strategically placed in Africa’s second most populous city and among the fastest-growing urban centers in the world.
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“Vlisco has always been about dialogue, between cultures, generations, art and fashion,” said Vlisco Group’s chief executive officer Perry Oosting, adding that with the opening “we celebrate the creativity of Kinshasa and strengthen our commitment to the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
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This is Vlisco’s sixth store in Africa and OMA’s second project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following the design of White Cube LIRCAEI, a cultural research center in Lusanga, in 2017.
Set within a ground-floor building surrounded by a garden, the OMA-designed retail space unfolds through three distinct areas. These include a market-inspired fabric display showcasing Vlisco’s full fabric collection; a corner inviting a closer exploration of a selection of textiles that can be studied in detail, and a private salon for tailored fittings and featuring a gallery of original design drawings.
The interior concept draws inspiration from the one-yard unit — the key measure of Vlisco textiles — expressed through a perimeter of adaptable cabinets that showcase fabrics in multiple ways. Indigo-inspired hues nod to the underlayer of many prints, while finishes in copper and wenge wood pay tribute to local materials. Artworks by Congolese artists and bespoke furniture by Ivorian designer Jean Servais Somian also punctuate the space.
The store carries exclusive collections such as “Satin Royal,” “Grand Super-Wax” and “Radiance,” Vlisco’s first woven jacquard. These are part of the more than 350,000 original fabrics across unique textile designs and color variations that Vlisco has developed since its foundation in 1846 in the Netherlands.
Rooted in the Indonesian wax-batik technique, Vlisco’s fabrics have become a symbol of self-expression and tradition as they have long been transformed by African tailors into garments that tell personal and cultural stories and one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect people’s individuality.
Vlisco Group comprises the Vlisco, Uniwax, GTP and Woodin brands, with headquarters and retail destinations in Ivory Coast, Congo, Togo, Benin and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company has 2,100 employees, of whom 1,600 are across Africa and 500 in the Netherlands.
OMA has offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong and Australia and is led by seven partners, including Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long and David Gianotten.
The firm operates within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. It is flanked by AMO, a research and design studio that applies architectural thinking to areas beyond, such as exhibitions, scenography and strategy, including numerous projects in fashion.
For example, AMO first collaborated with Prada in 2001 to design the brand’s Epicenter stores in New York and Los Angeles, and since 2004 has been responsible for designing the brand’s runway shows. The studio has also worked with the likes of Stone Island, Condé Nast, Ikea and Heineken, as well as Universal Studios, Harvard University and the Venice Architecture Biennale, to cite a few.