Vlisco is a producer of a portfolio of popular West African fashion brands including Vlisco, Uniwax, GTP and Woodin, Actis said in a statement.
Vlisco Group, a 164, year-old business, leads African design trends in printed and wax fashion fabrics. Worn by everybody from politicians and celebrities to men and women on the street, Vlisco’s brands are synonymous with style and contemporary value in West and Central Africa. It has strong retail presence in a number of countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin.
Speaking in Nigeria, Actis’s Head of West Africa, Ngozi Edozien said: “Actis appreciates that the Vlisco Group fabrics are part of the image of a modern West Africa; confident, contemporary, proudly African – grounded in tradition but adapted to the needs of the modern consumer.
In partnering with Vlisco Group we are committed to upholding the quality of these great name brands whilst broadening their reach to new pan-African audiences.”
Else Hartsema, Vlisco Group’s business representative in Nigeria said, “As a notable investor in modern retail facilities for Africa like the Accra Mall, and most recently Ikeja City Mall, Actis has the experience and expertise needed to help us fast track our well established African fashion business ambitions across all our markets.”
Vlisco Group contributes to multiple West African economies with brands ranging from premium (Vlisco), through mid-tier (Uniwax), to contemporary (GTP and Woodin). The company directly employs over 2,100 people of which 1,500 people are in West Africa, and the downstream supply chain indirectly employs many more, supporting entrepreneurialism among distributors, shopkeepers and tailors.
