I have been ambitiously making dress after dress. Textiles and fabrics inspire me so much. I started looking at wax fabrics that have a vintage vibe and found this beautiful print.
Wax prints actually originated in a small Dutch city called Helmond when entrepreneur, Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen, found a cheap way to imitate the batik fabrics being made in China and Indonesia. However, often there was small imperfections from the wax seeping through and in many cases the fabrics were banned.
Wax fabrics then found an unexpected new home starting in Ghana (then known as the Gold Coast), because between 1855 and 1872 approximately 3,000 Ghanian soldiers served in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. Upon return, many of the soldiers brought back their appreciation for the textiles and didnt mind the crackle effect.
Dutch Wax found its market place in many African countries. “Today, the Vlisco Group has four brands: Vlisco, Woodin, Uniwax, and GTP (Ghana Textiles Printing Company). The latter three are produced in parts of Africa, and all four market their slightly different designs to slightly different segments of that continent’s marketplace.”
The Dutch Wax is such a unique printing process, it reminds me much of pressing wood blocks to a card press. When you purchase a design, it is usually in 6 yard segments.
To learn more about the history of Dutch wax, I have sited an article here. I decided to combine these beautiful wax prints with a vintage dressed based on a design from 1948. You can get the ’48 here.
