Vlisco has launched Vlisco 30 Juin, a flagship boutique that celebrates the city’s vibrancy and the enduring influence of Congolese women on African and global fashion.
Vlisco has opened a new flagship boutique, Vlisco 30 Juin in Kinshasa, marking a bold new chapter in the company’s history. Acclaimed architectural firm OMA designed the retail concept in collaboration with Vlisco. It celebrates Kinshasa’s vibrancy and Vlisco’s evolving legacy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the people have long cherished its fabrics as cultural treasures.
“Vlisco has always been about dialogue between cultures, generations, art, and fashion. With Vlisco 30 Juin Kinshasa, we celebrate the creativity of Kinshasa and strengthen our commitment to the DRC,” said Perry Oosting, CEO of Vlisco Group.
A modern legacy rooted in culture
For nearly two centuries, Vlisco has been celebrated for its artistry, storytelling, and craftsmanship. The people of DRC celebrate the vibrant motifs as symbols of identity, pride, and creative expression. The new Kinshasa boutique blends this legacy with contemporary design, offering an immersive shopping experience through three distinct zones. They include a market-inspired fabric display, a detail-focused exploration area, and a private salon for tailored fittings and design inspiration.
The boutique showcases exclusive collections, including Satin Royal, Grand Super-Wax, and Radiance, Vlisco’s first woven jacquard. Artworks by Congolese artists and bespoke furniture by Ivorian designer Jean Servais Somian enrich the environment, while a garden and pergola provide welcoming spaces for visitors.
Inside Vlisco 30 Juin boutique
In the heart of Kinshasa, Africa’s second-most populous city and one of its fastest-growing urban hubs, Vlisco 30 Juin offers a flagship experience dedicated entirely to the brand. Located on 1028 Boulevard du 30 Juin, within Afriland Banque, the boutique is more than a store — it is an immersive experience where design, culture and community converge. The boutique reflects Vlisco’s strategy to deepen its connection with customers by creating a refined environment where design, culture, and community converge.
The space, set within a garden-framed ground-floor building, unfolds in three distinct zones. In a vibrant, market-inspired arrangement, the first zone shows Vlisco’s full fabric collection. The second zone invites closer exploration, where people can study selected fabrics in detail. The third, a more intimate private salon, allows visitors to try on tailored pieces in a setting that also features a gallery of original design drawings. Every detail is carefully considered.
The layout draws on the one-yard unit — the fundamental measure of Vlisco textiles — interpreted through adaptable cabinets that present fabrics in multiple ways. Indigo hues echo the base of many prints, while copper and wenge wood finishes pay homage to the region’s material richness. Art and craftsmanship extend the story. Local artworks share the stage with bespoke pieces by Ivorian designer Jean Servais Somian, including furniture fashioned from a repurposed canoe. Outside, a pergola embraces the garden on three sides, offering shaded spaces that make arriving and departing feel just as memorable as the time spent within.
The legacy and the visionaries behind Vlisco 30 Juin
About OMA / AMO
OMA is an international architectural practice that has redefined the intersection of cities, culture, and commerce. With offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong and Australia, seven partners who work across architecture and urbanism at a global scale lead the firm. Its counterpart, AMO, extends this architectural way of thinking into exhibitions, scenography and strategy, collaborating with leading fashion houses such as Prada, Off-White and Stone Island, where store design becomes part of a larger brand dialogue.
In the DRC, OMA’s presence is steadily expanding. Following its 2017 design of White Cube LIRCAEI, a cultural research centre in Lusanga, the firm now introduces Vlisco 30 Juin in Kinshasa. This second project in the country underscores OMA’s ability to merge spatial innovation with cultural context.
About Jean Servais Somian
Jean Servais Somian is an Ivorian designer whose work seamlessly blends functionality with artistry. Trained at the Georges Ghandour Carpentry Centre in Abidjan, the Craft Centre in Grand-Bassam, and the Daniel Beck Conception and Design Agency in Lausanne, Somian has built a practice that bridges ancestral craft with contemporary expression. From his Grand-Bassam studio, he produces sophisticated, limited-edition pieces that transform natural and everyday materials into striking works of functional art. Coconut wood, which has become his signature medium, is reimagined in forms that challenge the boundary between design and sculpture.
His work has been exhibited worldwide in galleries, museums and international design events. Committed to nurturing future talent, Somian launched the Young Designer’s Workshop in 2021 to train emerging Ivorian creatives. In 2024, he further extended this vision by opening Maison N’Zima, an artist residency and exhibition space in Grand-Bassam. This positioned him as both a maker and a mentor in Africa’s design landscape.
About Vlisco
Vlisco is renowned for its distinctive printed fabrics, crafted with time-honoured techniques inspired by Indonesian wax batik. Founded in 1846 in the Netherlands, the brand has created more than 350,000 original designs. Many of these designs have become cultural icons, embraced and redefined by African women across West and Central Africa. Today, Vlisco’s craftsmanship, bold design, and vibrant colour continue to inspire identity and storytelling, with every print unique.
