I’d been toying with the idea of starting a ready-to-wear collection to complement our accessories for the past few months. As I sketched I realized that most of my designs gravitated towards breezy, relaxed silhouettes that incorporated the ancient technique of batik. Growing up in South East Asia batik was something I saw all around me. I remember my mother wore gorgeous batik kaftans and my brother was coddled in a batik baby carrier. I wanted to rediscover and repurpose this traditional and ancient material.

As luck would have it, an Indonesian friend of the family has worked with batik artisans for the past twenty years in Bali. I’ve been wanting to go to Bali for as long as I can remember. The place conjures up images of wild beaches, picturesque rice fields and elaborate religious rituals. I was excited to learn more about batik and meet the artisans.

In March I packed my bags and headed to Indonesia. Words cannot begin to describe how beautiful Bali is. It goes without saying that the scenery is breathtaking (beaches – check, rice fields – check, stunning cliffs – check), but it is really the people that make the island so special. Everyone I met during my time there was warm and welcoming.

Clockwise from top: Picturesque rice terraces, beautiful balinese blessing, frangipani tree, Kayu Bianca tote, wild beach

I am also happy to report that the spirit of batik is very much still alive in Bali. I had the opportunity to meet the artisans and see the work they are doing, and am thrilled to be working with them on our upcoming ready-to-wear collection.

Clockwise from top: Batik hand stamp, sneak-peek at the KAYU ready-to-wear collection, custom hand-drawn batik screens.

I’ll be sharing more of my favorite places in Bali in the next couple of posts so stay tuned.

xoxo
Jamie.