Vlisco marked its 180th anniversary with The Sun We Share, a collection created in collaboration with Paris-based Cameroonian couturier Imane Ayissi. The collection became available online at Vlisco.com on 4 November 2026. Bringing together Vlisco’s heritage of colour, pattern and textile craftsmanship with Ayissi’s approach to couture, The Sun We Share combined selected archival designs with new creative interpretations. These included an original print co-created by Ayissi and the Vlisco design team, alongside a selection of prints curated by the designer. “The Sun We Share is about bringing different voices together, so collaborating with Imane Ayissi felt especially meaningful. For our 180th anniversary, we invited him to bring his perspective to our textile heritage. Together, we created a collection where Vlisco’s colour and pattern meet his expressive language of couture. It shows what’s possible through dialogue,” said Marlou van Engelen, Vlisco’s Creative Director.
Vlisco marked its 180th anniversary with The Sun We Share, a collection with Imane Ayissi that combines archival wax prints, a handshake motif, and couture.
Ayissi’s exploration of Vlisco’s archive in the Netherlands became a defining part of the collaboration. His work champions Africa’s rich and diverse artisanal textile traditions while acknowledging the distinctive cultural journey of wax fabric: originating outside the continent, it was embraced and reinterpreted by generations of African communities. The archive offered an opportunity to examine the history and cultural significance of Vlisco’s wax prints while discovering connections to his own childhood in Cameroon. Among the historic designs, Ayissi recognised motifs associated with fabrics worn by his mother and the women around him, as well as commemorative prints honouring the country’s first president. These discoveries established a personal connection between Vlisco’s textile history and his own cultural heritage.
Drawing on ideas of warmth and connection rooted in African cultures, Ayissi proposed a handshake motif for the new collaborative design. After developing initial sketches and searching the archive for precedents, he discovered historic prints depicting handshakes alongside radiant suns, graphic lines and dynamic curves. The resulting design featured a rhythmic series of handshakes connected by a freehand, undulating line. The continuous motif expressed the spirit of exchange at the heart of The Sun We Share, linking histories, cultures and creative perspectives. “The hand-drawn motif of the fabric that I created for Vlisco’s 180th anniversary means many things at once. It is history. It is friendship. It’s the symbol of one side reaching towards the other, of two people who love each other, of two countries that respect each other, and of two companies that care for each other. Whatever happens, always establish dialogue,” said Imane Ayissi.
Alongside the co-created design, Ayissi curated a selection of prints whose colourways and motifs developed the collection’s wider narrative. His choices offered a contemporary interpretation of established designs through a couturier’s perspective. The collection included Wax Hollandais, Grand Super-Wax and Super-Wax fabrics, alongside a limited-edition Radiance fabric called Fil Coupé, which presented another interpretation of the handshake motif. Woven in Italy, the Fil Coupé was created using a specialised jacquard weave with a three-dimensional structure. Its interplay of pattern, structure, and transparency translated the collaborative motif into a different material expression, showing how textile technique could change how the design was experienced.
To further explore the fabrics’ possibilities, Ayissi transformed the new fabric design into bespoke couture silhouettes for the Vlisco campaign. These one-of-a-kind creations highlighted the fabrics’ refinement and his interpretation of the collaboration. Rooted in the longstanding cultural exchange between the Netherlands and West and Central Africa, The Sun We Share recognised the many hands and creative voices that had shaped Vlisco’s story. The anniversary collection brought that history into a contemporary context through archival research, textile experimentation and couture. The Sun We Share became available online at Vlisco.com on 4 November 2026.
About Imane Ayissi
Imane Ayissi is a Paris-based Cameroonian couturier whose work celebrates African cultural heritage, artisanal craftsmanship and textile innovation. His practice explores the relationship between African traditions and contemporary fashion, with particular attention to the diversity of the continent’s textile cultures. Since 2020, Ayissi has presented his collections as a guest member on the official Paris Haute Couture calendar of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. His work brings together Parisian savoir-faire and African heritage, combining contemporary silhouettes with ancestral references and traditional craftsmanship. Africa’s landscapes, cultures and artisanal traditions remain central to his practice, informing an approach that treats heritage as a living, evolving source of inspiration.
About Vlisco
Founded in 1846, Vlisco is a heritage textile company known for its distinctive printed fabrics, crafted using time-honoured techniques and high-quality materials. Its designs bring together colour, pattern, storytelling and textile craftsmanship. Vlisco’s history is closely intertwined with cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Africa. Generations of African women have embraced and reinterpreted its distinctive prints, giving them names, meanings, and cultural significance across West and Central Africa. The fabrics have become expressions of identity, occasion and community. The company combines an enduring respect for its heritage with process-driven innovation, exploring new possibilities in textile design while continuing its tradition of expressive prints.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Sun We Share?
The Sun We Share is Vlisco’s 180th anniversary collection, created with Paris-based Cameroonian couturier Imane Ayissi. It combines selected archival designs with new interpretations, including an original print co-created by Ayissi and the Vlisco design team and a selection of prints curated by the designer. It became available online at Vlisco.com on 4 November 2026.
What does the handshake motif represent?
Ayissi proposed the motif, drawing on ideas of warmth and connection rooted in African cultures, after finding historic Vlisco prints that showed handshakes beside radiant suns. The finished design set a rhythmic series of handshakes along a freehand, undulating line. Ayissi described it as history, friendship and dialogue between two sides.
What is Fil Coupé in the collection?
Fil Coupé is a limited-edition Radiance fabric woven in Italy using a specialised jacquard weave with a three-dimensional structure. It offers another interpretation of the handshake motif. Its interplay of pattern, structure and transparency shows how textile technique can change the way a design is experienced.
Which fabrics and garments did the collection include?
The collection included Wax Hollandais, Grand Super-Wax and Super-Wax fabrics, alongside the limited-edition Fil Coupé. Ayissi also transformed the new fabric design into bespoke couture silhouettes for the Vlisco campaign. These one-of-a-kind creations highlighted the fabrics’ refinement and his interpretation of the collaboration.
