Vlisco Netherlands B.V., an international group of companies specialised in the creation, manufacturing, sales and marketing of high quality African clothes, was one of the co-sponsors of this year's Miss Nigeria Beauty Pageant, which held on Friday November 18 in Lagos. As a result, the makers of the Dutch Wax African print, popularly called Hollandis in the country, sent a team from their head office in The Netherlands to partake in the event, which included the Brand Manager, Ester Huigen. ONYEDIKA AGBEDO spoke to her on the company's involvement in the pageant and other sundry issues associated to the brand.WHY were you interested in sponsoring Miss Nigeria 2011'The reason we were interested in sponsoring Miss Nigeria 2011 is that for Vlisco, the woman is really the hero in everything we do. So, we really put women on a pedestal that will make them feel even more proud and strong than they are already. That, we feel, is very much in line with what the Miss Nigeria Pageant is about. They are putting not only beautiful women but also women with strong personality forward. Vlisco really likes to associate its brands with those characteristics.If you look at the people that contested for Miss Nigeria, they are aged between 18 and 21 years. As a business concern, we also look at that particular age group. That is also one of the reasons we were part of the pageant because we need to catch our future consumers young and groom them to the woman they want to become in future.Your brands mostly target females. Do you have an interest in male category at all'We have a design team, which develops all kinds of activities. We do that with strong women in our minds. But of course, male consumers can also wear Vlisco materials. It is just a matter of where we focus on but Vlisco prints can also look very nice on men. And you see a lot of men putting it on, especially in Nigeria. So, it is just a matter of making choices in our approach. The culture of the brand is very feminine and that's why the focus is there.The outlook of today's brands of Vlisco is quite a departure from what existed in the past. Are you re-branding'You are right. We really aim at maintaining design leadership and so constantly reposition ourselves as a premium fashion brand that also wants to attract future consumers and not to stick to the things that people already know. Our objective is really to surprise and inspire people time after time.You will see also that the interface with which we show new things will be shorter in the near future. At the moment we launch new collections every three months with new designs, which together tell a story that we belong into a certain theme. The design team makes up the themes for a period three months and when the concept scales through, the designers start work. So, we really try to surprise the consumer and make the women have something new every time especially the younger generation. Things are changing and people don't want to stick to what they have known over the years. That is why we do a lot of innovation. I have not seen in this world any company that is growing and doing the same thing it did three or for decades ago. You need to keep innovating and that is one of the cardinal principles of Vlisco.How are you finding the Nigerian market'It is very interesting. If you look at the country, it is as if there are several countries in one country. So, we may launch one mix of different clothing habits and so on. That's why I say it is interesting. Therefore, we have that in mind when developing new things.You came into Nigeria after you have gone to countries like Togo, Ivory Coast and many others. Why'Actually, countries like Republic of Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana have been the major countries for Vlisco from the very beginning. But people are travelling a lot around the West African parts and Nigeria is a major business hub in this axis. So, we want to be where people buy our fabrics. This stimulates the whole process of co-creation because it is not really about us. The creative process starts in Holland but it is not finished until the consumers here make it a unique fabric for their use. That is the bond and we want to have that relationship in every country where Vlisco is and Nigeria is very important to us.What challenges do you face doing business in Nigeria'It is quite complicated. The Nigerian government in a bid to protect the textile industry placed a ban on the importation of African prints and laces material. But recently, the ban on laces material was lifted. We also hear that the ban on African prints has been lifted. To this date, however, there has not been any official communication from the federal government to that effect. So, on the Customs Code and Excise print out, the code for African prints still remains contraband. But we do believe that at some point we will come in terms with the government and would have some kind of leverage in terms doing business in Nigeria. Our big hope is to also have a production plant in Nigeria.When would that come to pass'I might not be able to tell you when. But what I can say is that the process has been kick-started and we are on it.Vlisco brands cost higher than other African prints in the market and that affects the patronage they enjoy in the country. Doesn't that give you concern'In African terms, there is a saying that anything good doesn't come cheap. People acknowledge the fact that Vlisco is one of the best African prints in the market today. Of course, to get the best out of the production requires quite a lot of process. We don't compromise quality; we don't compromise standard and that is why we are the premium brand. You will agree with me that all premium brands come with some extra cost because of the finesse that is put into the production. It is not just Vlisco. And if you have the opportunity of visiting the company's factory at The Netherlands and see production process, you will appreciate why Vlisco comes at a premium price.Is the cost of Vlisco brands in Nigeria the same as in other countries'Yes. The Vlisco brands you see in Nigeria are what you see in other countries of the world. Absolutely we have the same unique price structure. But let me add that where there are probably other price differential compared to the Nigerian market is that a lot of other logistic costs have been added to the original cost by the various middle men that bring the brands into the country. We believe strongly that by the time we have a real penetration into the market and build a factory in Nigeria, the prices will actually come to what actually it should be.African prints are not known to be English wears. Who were you producing for from the onset'In the beginning, the West Indies was the major market for Vlisco. At that time, the production process was very much inspired by the former batik process. At a point, however, the Indonesian government put a ban on textiles to protect their local batik market. By that time when travelling between Indonesia and The Netherlands, the ships went along the west coast of Africa with the fabrics. It was through that process that the fabrics came in contact with the people in West Africa. That is one explanation.Also at that time there were many Africans in Indonesia and they got in touch with the fabrics. So, whenever they went to their homelands more people got in touch with the fabrics. From that point it became more interesting for them.The difference is that by time we were exporting to Indonesia, the designs were very fine and detailed. But because the market moved to West Africa, the designs changed to suit the needs of the African consumers. So, the designs have become much bolder and much more colourful than in the very beginning when the market was in a different place.
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