A Bright Threads Textile Journey to Bali

Textile Retreat Bali: Why I Chose to Manufacture in Bali

There’s a moment when building a brand where you realise you have to decide how something is actually going to be made (and for me, that decision is what eventually became the foundation of a textile Bali retreat).

For me, that wasn’t an afterthought - it was the starting point.

I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to create a tabletop textile brand.

What wasn’t clear was how it would be made.

Small batch, on purpose

Having lived and worked in China previously, I also knew that I didn’t want to manufacture there. The scale, the volume, the pace - it felt overwhelming to me. I wasn’t building something that needed to be produced in huge quantities.

I wanted small batch.

I wanted tactile.

I wanted something that felt connected to the hands that made it.

I had come from the wine industry, where I had always worked with smaller wineries - places where the story mattered, where the process mattered, and where you knew the people behind the product. Mass production, in comparison, felt less intimate. Less personal.

So Bali started to make sense.

Not because I had any experience in manufacturing there - I absolutely didn’t - but because it felt aligned with the kind of business I wanted to build.

The trip that made it real

At the time, it was just an idea. I remember speaking at length with my brother about it - saying out loud that I thought I might start production in Bali, while also fully acknowledging that I had no idea what I was doing. This was completely outside my wheelhouse. The thought of pounding the pavement in downtown Denpasar on my own honestly intimidated me. So, he agreed to come with me.

We booked a trip over the June long weekend in 2017, and in the space of three days, everything shifted. We found a local agent who could help liaise with both the printing factory and the linen supplier - something I didn’t even know I needed until I was there. And I met Sandi.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but that meeting would shape everything.

What started as a connection through production has turned into a long-standing partnership and friendship - one that sits at the heart of Bright Threads today.

But the truth is, Bali had been part of my life long before any of this. I’ve been travelling there with my family for over 40 years. It’s one of those places that becomes woven into your life over time - familiar, layered, always evolving. It’s also where my dad passed away in 2014, very suddenly, from a heart attack on our family holiday.

For a long time, that made Bali feel complicated. But returning there - slowly, and in my own time - shifted something. It became less about that moment, and more about everything else Bali had always been to me. A place of energy, creativity, and connection. It taught me the value of slow travel in Bali.

So, when I went back in 2017, it didn’t feel like stepping into the unknown. It felt like returning to somewhere I already understood - just in a completely different way.

What I found once I started working there was an entirely different rhythm of production. Printing is often done by hand and time spent on the textile printing factory Bali floor taught me that variations happen, and they’re not considered faults - they’re part of the process. And time doesn’t move in the same way it does in more industrialised systems. I’ll be honest - that took some adjusting.

I like things done properly, and learning to work within a system that isn’t built on speed, or uniformity required a shift in mindset. There were moments of frustration, moments of doubt, and plenty of learning curves. But over time, I stopped trying to force it into something it wasn’t and started to understand how to work with it instead.

And that’s where the real value is.

The biggest reason I continue to manufacture in Bali is the people. Sandi has been part of this journey for years now, and that kind of relationship is built over time - through trust, through problem-solving, through showing up again and again. And then there’s Ketut, who sews pieces for what we now call the Passion Project, working in a way that allows her the flexibility to care for her son, Komang, while still earning an income on her own terms.

This isn’t a story I set out to create. It’s simply what happens when you stay connected to the people behind the process.

From a practical perspective, Bali offers incredible craftsmanship and the ability to produce in small, considered runs. But for me, it’s more than that.

It’s being connected to the process.

It’s understanding where things come from.

It’s being present for the making - not just the outcome.

And that connection has shaped everything Bright Threads has become.

Over the years, I’ve had so many conversations with people who are curious about how this all actually works - how you find a manufacturer, what a print run looks like, who the people are behind the pieces.

What a Textile Retreat in Bali Really Looks Like (Beyond the Tourist Strip)

It’s not a resort itinerary. It’s studio time, conversations, and the kind of behind-the-scenes access that lets you understand how fabric is actually made — from the printing floor to the people who do the work every day.

And the truth is, it’s not something you can fully explain. You have to see it. That’s really where the idea for the Textile Retreat came from. Not to turn people into designers overnight, but to open the door to the process - to let you step inside it, meet the people, and understand the layers behind something as simple, and as complex, as a piece of fabric.

Because once you see it — the hands, the imperfections — you don’t experience it the same way again. You understand it.

If you want to see what the Textile Retreat with Bright Threads actually includes, you can view the journey details here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a textile retreat or a tour?

It's a maker-led textile retreat—built around workshops, behind-the-scenes access, and the creative process, not sightseeing.

What will I learn on a textile retreat in Bali?

You'll explore print and textile processes, meet local makers, and see how traditional methods shape modern design—often with hands-on sessions.

Where in Bali does the retreat take place?

Sanur is an ideal base for slower, more local access—close to studios and makers, away from the beach-club version of Bali.

Do I need to be a designer to join?

No. These experiences are designed for curious travellers—anyone who wants to learn, make, and understand the craft behind the product.

What makes a Quro journey different?

Quro journeys are story-led and access-driven—built around people, process, and the "how it's made" layer that most travel never touches.