For half a century, Uniwax has established itself as one of the main manufacturers of the famous wax loincloth. In West Africa, and more particularly in Côte d'Ivoire, the brand is one of the leaders. In April 2019, Uniwax entered the world of luxury fashion by collaborating with Dior. On the occasion of its Cruise 2020 show in Marrakech, the famous house presented a collection of ready-to-wear in wax fabric, whose designs were made and the fabrics manufactured by Uniwax in its factory in Côte d'Ivoire.

To find out more, FashionUnited interviewed Jean-Louis Menudier, CEO of Uniwax, during a meeting at the company's headquarters in Yopougon, a commune of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire.

Photo: Jean-Louis Menudier, CEO of Uniwax; Uniwax.

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When and how were you contacted by Dior?
The connection was made thanks to the anthropologist, Anne Grosfilley, who published a quality work on the history of wax in Africa. We know her well since she stayed at Uniwax at the end of the 90s. She also lived for a long time in Togo where she continued to write this book on wax (Wax & Co: anthology of printed fabrics from Africa , Editor's note) and this is therefore the starting point of this story.

Maria Grazia Chiuri, the artistic director of Dior, was interested in the work and she wanted to include wax in her creations. Anne Grosfilley therefore told him that Uniwax would be the best place where it would be possible to manufacture quality wax, firstly because we respect the traditional wax manufacturing process, then because we partly use African cotton, processed in Africa. Also, we are a very flexible company, so we could respond quickly and easily to a special request like Dior's.

How did the collaboration go?
The Dior team contacted us to arrange a meeting. They came here in February 2019 and the collection was presented at the end of April. Things went very quickly, we created 42 drawings following their brief and their very precise instructions. In particular, we worked on Tarot cards and Jouy paintings which are the property of the Dior house. We have revisited them to make wax type loincloths. It was a great collaboration, a great understanding between Europe and Africa. It gives a good image to fashion, to see a collaboration between a big fashion house, which is one of the biggest trendsetters, and Uniwax which shines on West Africa and a little on Africa central, but which is not yet widely known on a global scale.

Are you going to continue this collaboration with Dior?
The future will tell. We have already done another operation with Dior since this first collaboration. We have created a personalized loincloth to dress a famous Italian artist on the occasion of his summer concert tour.

Have you had other collaborations of such scope?
We have had other collaborations with international brands, but not on such a scale. In particular, we collaborated with Eastpak on two backpack collections.

How does Uniwax react to competition and counterfeiting?
To cope with the massive influx of copies that come mainly from China, we act in a very simple way. We have developed a strategy that has been in place for some time, which consists of creating faster than the copier can copy! We also act on communication by addressing our target directly. We regularly present new collections, we have a fashion magazine to support these novelties, etc... Our communication favors novelty rather than the classic side and it works well. The proof, these last five years, the demand was stronger than the offer.

This strong demand is also explained by the fact that the wax has been very publicized in recent years. Do you feel it through your customers?
Obviously since we participate in this media coverage through our fashion magazines in particular. At one point, we targeted young people in our communication, so as to make them aware of the novelty made in Africa. We wanted to show that wax could be worn on a daily basis and by young people. Until then, the great designers only took skinny, professional models for their shows, to take pictures, etc. We made the choice to photograph ordinary people, men, everyday women. We started this process in 2008 and over the years, we have seen the first young people go out, even in nightclubs, with wax outfits. The trend then intensified and I think we contributed to it.

Do you think it's a fad?
No, it will last because the image and values ​​around the trend are only getting stronger. We are moving more and more towards loincloths entirely made at home, with African cotton, soon to be totally spun and woven in Africa. Today, we are doing it at 35 percent and in two or three years, we plan to reach 100 percent. I think that all these values ​​that surround the brand will help to strengthen this image with consumers.

What are the other actions of Uniwax with regard to eco-responsibility?
We started with the installation of a biomass boiler, to produce our steam which is the main energy used in the industrial process. We do not use fuel oil, little gas, etc. but mainly from biomass and we are pioneers in this field. The second phase of our commitment will be to recycle 95 percent of the water used in our processes and the remaining five percent will be completely neutralized. Finally, we plan to equip all the roofs of the Uniwax factory with solar panels in order to produce our daytime electrical energy. We are completely in an ecological and eco-responsible approach.

Photo:Uniwax Headquarters; Fashion United.

You recently launched your online sales site, how is it progressing?

We launched it in March 2019 and we are really at the beginning of the adventure. We did not want to take any risks by launching the site internationally and even at the sub-regional level. We focused on Abidjan only. Of course, the site is available in French and English but in terms of delivery possibilities, it is only available in Abidjan and delivery is made at a pick-up point in our shops. For now, the on-demand loincloth is the only product available for sale on our site. Customers choose from a collection of designs, they choose the colors and they can further personalize their order by adding up to five different high definition photos. The loincloth, which is at least one meter eighty, is available five days after the order in one of the Woodin shops in Abidjan.

We had our test phase for ten months and we want to develop the offer very quickly. We are in the process of finalizing the extension of the site so that it is available internationally with worldwide deliveries by DHL and via the Post Office network inside the Ivory Coast. It should be remembered that in Africa, it is extremely difficult to make home deliveries as is done in Europe. We see start-ups trying to get into this market but right now I don't feel it's working very well. The day when this offer will be operational, we will necessarily adhere to it.

What are the e-commerce figures currently?

The turnover remains confidential for the moment, it is not yet very high. We will very quickly expand the sales of loincloths on demand and add other products. We must also work on the offer of means of payment, in order to improve the offer.

Uniwax website screenshot.

The wax has recently been the victim of strong criticism on social networks. Internet users accuse him of not being African. How do you react to these attacks?

I have seen these numerous attacks... If we have to define wax today, I think we must first remember that it is of Indonesian origin, batik, and has never claimed to be of African descent. It is a handmade product and it is still done the same way in Indonesia today. The first company to have industrialized its manufacture is Vlisco in the Netherlands. Even today, the brand continues to produce the highest quality wax.

When I read the comments, especially those attacking Europeans and especially Dutch people, I find it ridiculous. To talk about wax, you also have to be interested in the commercial aspect. It is indeed important to keep in mind that wax has, from the very beginning, been consumed by Africans. It then became a product marketed by African women on the continent and today, having completely espoused Africa, it is becoming a global product despite originating from Indonesia.

Furthermore, it should be noted that Dutch wax does not even represent one percent of the African Print market. The market in Africa is today dominated by the Chinese industrial giant, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the production of African prints.

So wax haters are attacking the wrong industry?

I've read the comments on this topic and I'm not quite sure where they are getting at by doing this. I don't see how wax disturbs the production of bogolans, woven loincloths, etc. Everyone has their place in the market and it is up to designers to promote the products they like to work with, that they enjoy transforming into clothing or decoration, etc.

What are your goals for 2020?

We will try to be even more in tune with consumer demand and expectations. We will continue to invest to increase our production capacity and improve the quality of our products by implementing the very latest technologies. We also want to diversify our product and market offering and develop e-commerce. Here are our strategic priorities for 2020.

How did you come to Uniwax?

Before being Ivorian by adoption, I am of French origin. I was born in the Vosges and after studying textiles which went well in Epinal in my region of origin, I was a textile technical advisor in Yemen for a year and a half. Then, I obtained a private contract in Yemen to prepare the installation of an underwear factory. I returned to France for two years, where I worked as technical director for a small company in Alsace, then head teacher at a textile school in the Lyon region, and left for Africa in 1983, where I worked for seven years in Zaire, then in Senegal for three years and finally I came to Uniwax, which I have been managing for 26 years.