Uniwax and Côte d'Ivoire's Wax Print Industry

In Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer), wax print is a fabric you see every day and at every celebration, and Uniwax is one of the few factories still printing it locally in West Africa. Its story is the history of a brand, but it also reflects the position of Africa's textile industry in a fiercely competitive global market.

From joint-venture factory to local brand

According to a 2020 report by the fashion trade outlet FashionUnited, Uniwax was founded in 1967 and began operating in January 1970. It was set up with capital from the Dutch firm Vlisco and Unilever, and its offices are in Yopougon, Abidjan. Several financial outlets reported in 2026 that the company is based in the Yopougon industrial zone, has long been linked to the Vlisco group through the local holding company Frageci, and is listed on the regional stock exchange, the BRVM.

Material from a 2025 wax print exhibition held by the HEAR art school in France and the Musée de l'Impression sur Etoffes in Mulhouse notes that from the 1970s Uniwax printed a design called "The Hand", emphasising local production. At the end of the 1980s, its "Golden Scissors" design competition is regarded as the turning point that moved wax print from everyday cloth to fashion fabric.

Into international fashion

FashionUnited reports that a Dior team visited Uniwax in February 2019. The 42 designs created together, inspired by Dior's tarot cards and toile de Jouy prints, were used in Dior's Cruise 2020 collection. The exhibition material cited above confirms that these 42 designs were printed in Abidjan. The same report states that Uniwax had a turnover of 40 billion CFA francs in 2018 and launched online sales in March 2019. Uniwax has also partnered with Eastpak on two backpack collections and has been a partner of the Miss Côte d'Ivoire pageant since the late 1990s.

The 2026 change of ownership

On 11 February 2026, the Ivorian cotton company COIC (Compagnie ivoirienne de coton) announced that it had acquired a majority stake in Uniwax, a deal the media described as the company "returning to Ivorian hands". The terms were not disclosed; the current management and the Vlisco group said they would continue to support the transition. The financial outlet Daba Finance reported in July 2026 that COIC's stake is about 72.3%.

Media analysis notes that COIC itself is engaged in cotton ginning and processing, so acquiring Uniwax is a step towards downstream integration. At the same time, the industry's challenges remain clear: cheap imported fabric, counterfeiting and volatile energy costs. According to the 2025 exhibition material, Asian manufacturers already account for 96% of the wax print market.

Things to keep in mind when buying or partnering

• Know the brands: in Abidjan's fabric markets, the same pattern may come in different brands and at different prices; ask the seller to explain the origin and the brand.
• Respect the design: wax print patterns are works with designers and brands behind them. If you want to use them for products or events, look into licensing first.
• Check official information before doing business: if you are considering working with a local textile company, corporate information and financial statements are available in BRVM disclosures.

One line for Asian companies

The Uniwax story shows that a "made locally" brand in West Africa depends not just on production capacity but on design, distribution and local identity — a lesson worth bearing in mind for Asian companies seeking to understand this market.

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References: FashionUnited — Uniwax: After a collaboration with Dior (2020); HEAR / Musée de l'Impression sur Etoffes — WAX ! exhibition material (2025); Fraternité Matin — COIC rachète la majorité d'Uniwax (2026); Ecofin — COIC acquires majority stake in Uniwax (2026); Daba Finance — Uniwax 2025 results (2026); AllAfrica / Le Journal de l'Economie Sénégalaise — Uniwax H1 2026 report