It started during Covid.
I (Nikky) was already interested in Batik for a long time. My grandfather used to wear it, so it always felt close to home. During Covid I started making Batik face masks for family. At that time it wasn’t even real Batik yet. I just wanted to create something.
I posted one photo online and suddenly more people wanted one. That’s when I started thinking: if people already respond to this, what if I do this properly? With real Batik. With real makers.
I contacted family friends in Jakarta to ask where I could find authentic Batik and small ateliers. I didn’t want factory production. I wanted to understand the craft and the people behind it.
After Covid I travelled to Indonesia to visit these places myself. I wanted to see how Batik is made, how long it takes, and how we could work together in a fair way. That’s where I found the first small atelier in Cirebon that we still work with.
Back in the Netherlands I started thinking about products that make sense today. How can we use traditional Batik in a modern way? That’s how the idea for simple, everyday bags made from real Batik started.
That same summer I met Jil. She also has an Indonesian background, and working with Batik made her feel closer to her family and roots. We quickly realised we share the same love for Batik and Indonesian culture, and we both felt very strongly that we had to do something with this. Jil was already working a lot with art and painting, and together we started building ideas around Batik accessories and Batik-inspired artworks.
It moved fast after that. We registered at the KVK and now we’re building our business together.
