URBAN BEAT BY VLISCO

Following Vlisco’s successful Fashion Academy for local tailors across the country, Vlisco Nigeria is once again counting down to February 22nd for another milestone fashion event.

This time one budding fashion designer will be chosen from a large pool of participants from the Vlisco Fashion Academy. The winner will showcase their designs in a fashion show on the same day alongside top Nigerian designers.

A call for submission to enter for the competition begins in January 2009. The competition is a test for creativity, finish, craftsmanship, presentation and a distinct style. This can be a launch pad for the lucky winner’s fashion career. Applicants are required to send in sample sketches of their work in Avante Premiere (young and fresh), Couturiere (exclusive) and Cocktail styles before or by the 31st of January to the email addresses listed below.

The Vlisco Urban Beat Fashion Event is the offspring of the Vlisco Fashion Academy which was created in line with the Company’s corporate ethos of being a committed, ethical and loyal partner for business communities where Vlisco textiles have become part of the vibrant visual and fashion culture.How long has the Vlisco Company been present in Nigeria?
Vlisco Tinapa, our FZE Company was founded May 2008, for the exploitation of our Image Store in the Tinapa Free Trade and leisure Zone. We paid our two-year lease, to BROLL, the international management company that manages the shopping zone. We received our Trading license from NEPZA. Nevertheless we were closed by customs, with, till date, nothing in writing, from anybody. Just customs coming into the shop and closing it, six days after we opened the shop on December 2007. The shop is a _300,000 investment and offers jobs to about eight people.
We also opened a representative company, based, centrally in Abuja, at the end of last year. This company performs consumer and market research in the Nigerian market to find out how we can even create better products specifically to serve our Nigerian Consumers.

Birth of the Vlisco Fashion Academy
Whilst getting my Vlisco fabrics made with renowned tailors and designers in Abuja and then in Lagos, I saw that most of the tailors spoke French. They were from the Republic of Benin, Senegal etc. I wondered why and asked many around me. The answer was that they were better.
I did not believe that, so I started talking to people like Adebayo Jones, a designer based in London, Folake Majin, well known in the North, as she dresses most of the Northern ladies, and some others and after also doing research with Northern tailors, we came to the conclusion that we could maybe as a fashion brand, help in this respect and make a difference in helping the Nigerian fashion industry move forward from the roots. The result is that we are now doing the kick off of the Vlisco Fashion Academy in Lagos, Abuja and Kano, for a series of tailor workshops, all around the country.
We plan to train tailors and help them improve all kind of skills, from setting up one's own business to pattern cutting, costing etc. But we also give them information about fashion, trends, colors etc. It is a very exciting project and it has been received with an overwhelming enthusiasm by the whole fashion industry; also by the established designers and tailoring houses we have spoken to. We will have a follow up session in April 2009 after the initial training session. At the same time we will unveil our upcoming Vlisco Young Designers' contest.


On the use of wax and Ankara fabric in today's fashion
The revival of Ankara, has also given a new impulse to Vlisco, especially as it coincides with the new strategy of Collections. We are moving towards a fashion brand and are now launching our designs in four collections a year.

Admission to the workshop
Lagos alone has over 10,000 tailors. This is too much to start with, so we have started with 500, and from there we will keep working till we have worked with every interested tailor, which means all of them. I believe they should all at least get a chance to join if they are interested.
Every tailor can improve his product and clientele by using Vlisco. Further, we would like to give all that are interested a chance to train with us. Through market research we have found out that our Vlisco cloth is not known by all, so we would also like to show the advantages of working with Vlisco, especially in an era of revival of Ankara. But there is not only the training, there are also the ideas we can give as well as the pattern books we are developing and general information on the fashion industry. We used to have pattern books in other African countries, but we would like to start them again, as they are well appreciated. We ourselves are very respectful with our product; we would also like to see that although the customer pays more for it, they also get more from it.
The Fashion Academy kicks off in this Month, in three regions, intensive training sessions will continue from March to April 09. It will be re-occurring at least twice a year.
Our Vlisco Fashion Academy is designed for tailors of all outfits who are interested to join. We will have beginners, medium and advances-level courses.

On the Vlisco brand
THE Vlisco brand is one of the strongest personalities I know. Through its 160 years history, the brand has a lot of knowledge and values and deserves a lot of respect. The brand stands out through its continuous attention to quality and inspiration of the drawings and colors.
Because of its longtime relationship with the consumer in West and Central Africa, the brand has received insight in the many different cultures, lives through all important moments and gives the consumer trust and confidence - the old friend, always around, on whom one can always fall back.
There are only a few brands that are so entangled in the daily life, as well as in a naming ceremonies or again, Gala as well as the woman's meetings. Thanks to these associations, the brand stands out in respect to other brands. All new collections place the modern woman on a pedestal like an Ode to the lady of today.

Marking Vlisco Out Among Others
The big difference with other textile brands is the large capacity of originality, of new designs, and the constant attention to quality. When one compares Vlisco to the total textile industry, it appears Unique. The know-how of wax, the sort of colors (all developed in-house) and the designs make it unique.
In Europe Vlisco is used in every exposition or essay as "The example".
Everywhere around the World where we see consumers, originally from West and Central Africa, they wear Vlisco to show the African Identity. History makes that the foundation and history are very deep, which not many other brands can boast. Vlisco is being copied continuously.

Vlisco textiles in local market
The company dates from 1846, but the products are found on the markets of West and Central Africa since the 1930s.
Vlisco is a Dutch company yet it appears to have a strong West African presence. With its brilliant hues and busy patterns, it seems specifically targeted at Africans.
Vlisco has always made wax, specifically for the consumers for Western and Central Africa, on the continent, but also very important throughout the whole Diaspora, from Europe to the US and the Middle and Far East.
According to our consumers, it also fits the darker skin very specifically.
Everywhere there are consumers, originating from West and Central Africa. Besides in most West and Central African countries, in South Africa, the US, and most countries of Western Europe at Diaspora concentrations like the UK, France and The Netherlands and a little in the Middle East.

Success of the brand
Different parts of Nigeria have different relationships. The South East, mainly the Igbo and its related ethnic groups have a long tradition with Vlisco and its' classic (Igbo) designs, everybody knows, like Fish scale, Opener etc, in the typical yellow / orange and dark red colors. It is mostly worn by ladies, but also by men.
In the north of Nigeria, a specific Vlisco product which has three colors and open designs with also a lot of white, called Super Wax is especially appreciated. It is worn as an everyday wear daywear as well as for special occasions. Mostly worn by women, there are also some men that like wearing it.
In the South West, mostly men wear it especially on Fridays. But we are revolutionizing the market at the moment in that segment with our new collections that appear four times a year. The very fashion conscious Nigerian is adapting quickly to the new trends and designs, especially with the revival of the African print, what we call Ankara here. Then even those who normally did not wear wax are starting to wear it. We have had six of the new collections now and they are very inspiring to all.

Challenges facing the brand in Nigeria
Our product is banned and the business environment is very challenging.
Besides the Netherlands, we have factories in Ghana as well as in Ivory Coast. If the climate would be more inviting, contrary to our experience in Tinapa, we could have considered setting up a factory for some of our products in Nigeria.
We wanted to launch fashionable Vlisco suitcases. This is another product banned for importation to Nigeria. So I went to look for the factories. There is only one factory, which assembles parts brought in from Dubai, and they were not interested to produce for us. This is just one example. The Tinapa fiasco is another. Nonetheless we are here to serve and we will continue to do so in the face of challenges. The truth is that no business exists without its own unique difficulties.

Fashion-conscious Nigerians and Vlisco brand
Vlisco is closely looking at the Nigerian market. We are seeking collaboration with top Nigerian designers, and fashion houses. At the Vlisco Fashion Academy, we are starting off with Nigerian top designer, Adebayo Jones.
Our objective is to create these workshop sessions where local tailors have access to international designers and their knowledge and expertise thereby creating a flourishing fashion industry even from grassroots level. The inaugural edition of the Vlisco Fashion Academy has recorded a number of talented tailors who have signed up to participate. These are tailors who have, maybe, one sewing machine in a little wooden space that is home and shop. These tailors have the opportunity to learn from the masters and become masters in the fashion industry themselves. We are collaborating with top Nigerian designers as well as lecturers from the London College of Fashion as well as local Nigerian fashion schools and houses. The fashion industry, just like the film industry in Nigeria is huge, so I think it would be great if we also have more Nigerian tailors in all the renowned tailoring houses.