Batik is an ancient tradition practiced in many places throughout Asia. 

Some batiks use a block stamp to create a perfect wax motif, however all of our patterns are created by the hand of an artist. Therefore, each Color of Heat batik piece is like a wearable work of art and uniquely its own!

Somewhat surprisingly, our journey with batik is as old as our story with our striped Festival Fabrics.

We met Yong and his family back in 2013; Kat + her parents were originally just eager to learn about the manufacturing process, and set out on a mission to try to meet with some clothing producers. 

It turned into a multi-day event, and after several days with no luck, they were close to calling it quits. Will finally sat down at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and said, “I’ll order lunch, come back in 20. If you haven't met anyone by then...well that's it.”

Jeanne + Kat came back with no avail, however, Will had been chatting with the restaurant owner and remarkably found out that she had a friend that makes batik clothing.

After a delicious lunch, she closed up shop and the four of them piled in her pick up truck (Kat + Jeanne scrambled into the truck bed). After some time, they ended up at Yong’s studio. Yong is an artisan who works with a rather small team of just his family. He works with his brother, their mother, his brother’s wife, and his cousin.

We were blown away by the beauty of his craft. Jeanne studied textiles as an art major in college, and had subsequently dabbled in batik. She had a deep understanding of the skill level required for such artistic craftsmanship.

Yong was the first artisan that we ever worked with. We placed a very small order that week, and for the next several years he was our sole partner in production.

Years later, after Kat had graduated from FIT, she began thinking about expanding COH’s offering. She had always been enthralled by Yong’s batik. When she saw the shorts sampled in the hand-painted material for the first time, it was a resounding yes.

These pieces are each one of a kind. There has been a bit of an adjustment to understanding the best system for online sale.