Vlisco Recycled Carpets is a collection of textile floor coverings developed by Dutch designer Simone Post using surplus and rejected fabrics from Vlisco, a manufacturer of wax-printed textiles. The project explores opportunities for material reuse by transforming production offcuts and misprinted textiles into new interior products.

The production of Vlisco’s wax-print fabrics involves a complex multi-stage process, during which materials may be rejected if they do not meet the company’s quality standards. While these textiles are unsuitable for their original purpose, they retain valuable material properties and colour qualities. The project repurposes these residual streams, extending the lifespan of the material and reducing waste associated with textile production.

To create the carpets, the fabrics are cut into narrow strips, folded and coiled into dense, durable surface structures. The design process was inspired by the cross-sectional appearance of large rolls of fabric used during storage and transportation. By exposing the edges of the textiles rather than the printed surfaces, the resulting carpets generate new visual patterns while concealing any imperfections present in the original fabrics.

Each carpet is unique due to the variation in colours and textile remnants available for production. The process enables a wide range of colour combinations and compositions, resulting in one-off products that reflect the characteristics of the source material.

Both the textile waste stream and the manufacturing process are located in the Netherlands. The rejected fabrics originate from Vlisco’s Dutch production facilities, while the carpets are handcrafted in Simone Post’s studio in Rotterdam. This localised production approach minimises transportation requirements and supports regional material reuse.