Pithe Meets:
Retracing Memory Through Batik
Her first time coming to Bali mapped so much memory of Indonesia, now Zoe Lin, 15 years later, tried to retrace and cherish the memory back - through a batik pattern that happened to be created by us! We are forever grateful to meet people like Zoe and to find that our design goes beyond a product. We talked to Zoe on how the batik dress led her back to Bali.
How did you discover Pithecanthropus?
I remember I was 15 when me and my family visited Bali at that time. We were just strolling around and went inside a shop where I saw a beautiful batik dress with such a nice neckline and delicate blue color. I also got some postcards that I still keep until now. I cherish them so much because it's a part of my childhood memory.
What part of the childhood memory
makes it so memorable?
I think the dress; the delicate classic batik pattern, and the postcards remind me of our annual family trip with such beautiful memories of me and my family. I only wrote to my best friends because I still wanted to have some of the postcards for me to keep.
What's so special about that dress
that you still keep it?
I still wear that dress even. This is my second time to Bali and the dress brings so much memories of my first time in Bali when I was 15, the nature - just some nostalgic emotional moments to be. Now I'm 30 and I have this desire to cherish the memory again. The dress brings me to understand batik and Indonesia as a cultural place, even deeper, because I never knew anything about that. This is the reason why I decided to go back here.
So how did you trace back our brand?
I was walking around in Ubud where I stumbled upon your store and I saw another dress with the same pattern and the same postcards too - I did not realize that it was your brand. So I tried to check your website and found the flagship store, here at Masa Masa. Your batik brings a reminder that Bali is not just about tourism, but also the craft.
