Karel Martens x Vlisco
Vlisco collaborates with renowned Dutch graphic designer Karel Martens on a limited-edition textile design inspired by The Algorithm of Nature.
A shared language of
colour and form
The collaboration between Karel Martens and Vlisco began in 2017 and evolved through years of experimentation, dialogue and research.
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Together with the Vlisco design team, Martens explored how organic forms could be translated into the visual language of wax print. Through layering, repetition and saturated colour, he developed an algorithm that breaks down a flower into essential visual elements.
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The result is W1939 — a print where systematic structure and organic rhythm come together in a bold yet intuitive composition.
“Organic form and systematic logic come together in one bold, intuitive print.”
About Karel Martens
Karel Martens is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in contemporary graphic design. Known for his experimental use of typography, colour and visual systems, his work transforms structure into rhythm and process into visual poetry.
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Spanning decades of editorial design, printmaking and education, Martens continues to shape how designers think about graphic design as both craft and cultural language.
W1939
Printed on 100% premium quality cotton and produced in limited quantities, W1939 exists somewhere between functional textile and collectible design object.
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Inspired by The Algorithm of Nature, the design reveals different layers depending on distance and perspective . Shifting between floral form and graphic abstraction.
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Close up, the design reads as a grid of colour blocks, but from a distance, a floral form emerges, constructed through repetition, fragmentation, and dynamic use of colour.
