Batik fabric holds great significance to me. Before World War II, my Grandfather Klaas migrated to Indonesia from Holland to take advantage of a job opportunity in the rubber plantations there. After settling, he was married by proxy to his Dutch fiancé Tine, who promptly boarded a ship and made her way from Holland to join him. They spent several years living with the local people on the plantation, learning the language, the culture and the cuisine and welcomed their first son, Klaas Jr.

When war broke out, the two were once again separated and placed in internment camps. There they spent three painful years apart not knowing each other’s fate. Fortunately, when the war ended, they were re-united and returned to working the plantation for another four years, during which they welcomed the arrival of my Uncle Bert and my Mother Anne. Eventually, their growing family emigrated to Canada to settle in Eastern Ontario, where they dropped roots for good.

Through their years overseas, a great deal of Indonesian culture and cuisine made it into the fabric of my family, where it still thrives today. So when it came time to create the packaging for Ground Soap, I knew exactly where to look for inspiration.

Several years ago, I travelled to Indonesia to meet the people who create beautiful batiks by hand. I was lucky enough to hang around their outdoor shops while they stamped, washed, and dyed long rolls of cotton into beautiful designs and I even got to walk through lofts of hanging batiks swaying in the afternoon breeze to dry. This solidified my connection to Indonesia, its people, and the beautiful handmade fabric that I’ve been obsessed with ever since.