In October 2025, the Indonesian business news site Emitennews reported on a shift Indonesia's trade officials are seeing in the US: American buyers want design that is naturally sourced, made by hand, and comes with a real story about where it came from. Kasih Co-op was one of the Indonesian brands the report named.
What the report found
The article looked at Indonesian brands at Shoppe Object Summer 2025, a design, home and lifestyle trade show held August 4–5, 2025, in New York. According to the report, Indonesian exhibitors there generated about US$110,000 in potential deals.
Ranitya Kusumadewi, Trade Attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C., said the results reflect where US demand is heading: toward naturally sourced design. The report highlighted what buyers were drawn to:
- Natural materials such as rattan, natural fibers, wood, clay and stone
- Handmade pieces with variety, where no two are exactly alike
- Cultural authenticity and a clear story of origin
- Sustainability, including upcycled products
It named batik, woven goods and handmade ceramics as the kinds of authentic artisan goods that match what US shoppers are looking for.
Where Kasih Co-op fits in
We exhibited at Shoppe Object with the Global Artisan Project, which supports artisan brands focused on preserving craft, empowering communities and reaching buyers around the world. The report listed Kasih Co-op alongside other Indonesian makers, including Mawar Ketak Lombok's rattan weaving, Seken Living's upcycled home decor and Solo Handmade Carpet's hand-woven rugs.
The trends in the report are the things our bandanas and scarves have always been built on:
- Natural materials. Our bandanas and scarves are 100% cotton, and our natural-dye line is colored with plant-based pigments such as indigo.
- Made by hand. Every pattern is applied with hot wax, either stamped with a copper cap or drawn line by line with a canting pen. A single batik tulis bandana takes about 10 hours of handwork.
- A real origin story. Our batik comes from family-run workshops in Cirebon and Yogyakarta, Java. I grew up in Indonesia, and batik is my own heritage.
- Fair to the people who make it. Our per-piece prices pay our batik artisans above the regional minimum wage in Cirebon, West Java, hour for hour.
Verified fair trade
Since that show, Kasih Co-op has become a verified Fair Trade Federation member (see our listing among FTF Verified Members on Faire), accepted in April 2026 after a review of our wages, working conditions and business practices. We are also verified by People + Planet First. You can see exactly how we work with our artisans on our How We Work page.
For shoppers and stores
If you're looking for authentic Indonesian design for yourself, start with our batik bandanas. If you run a boutique or museum shop, you can carry Kasih Co-op through our wholesale page or on Faire.
Source: "Konsumen AS Minati Desain dan Dekorasi Otentik Indonesia," Emitennews, October 10, 2025 (in Indonesian).
