A new dolman-sleeve top for girls from Hiho Batik
One of my favorite dresses for my girl when she was two, was a batik rose printed on a super soft, charcoal gray cotton dress. It turned into one of my favorite tops for her as a three-year-old, because it was durable enough to last a year of constant washing and stylish enough to keep in her outfit rotation. My mother got it on a flash sale site, and I’ve since passed it on as a hand-me-down, so this summer I looked up the brand: Hiho Batik. To my surprise, the founder, Julia Silver Gordon, had recently relocated production from Miami to Park Slope, where she and her new business partner, Robyn Stylman, had opened a storefront on Fifth Avenue.
The front part of Hiho Batik features their one-of-a-kind, handmade batik clothing line that includes kids, adults, and accessories. The back of the store is a Make-Your-Own space where anyone can design and create their own batik items. (Batik is a resist dye technique that is similar to tie dying but involves wax instead of string. It’s apparently very forgiving, too.)
The two-month-old space is available for parties or drop-ins, where you can select an item to batik–t-shirts, hip pouches, pillows, etc–either solo or with your kids (ages 5 and up is recommended, although younger kids are welcome–they’ll just handle more of the process themselves). They set you up with a design to personalize or you can make your own, which you wax and then paint. Afterward you pick a background color and leave the item with Hiho. They finish the process and dye the background and then it’s ready a week later.
Normally the MYO workshops are $40 to $50, depending on the item you select to dye. But next Friday, December 7 from 4pm to 6pm, Hiho is offering BB Kids and BB subscribers a special discount–$10 off–to make your own batik piece to gift, keep for yourself or your child. Even better, once you’re done batiking you can shop in store with a 20% discount!
To take the discounted workshop, and get the 20% off, just fill out their MYO form on the site, including the date. Mention Brooklyn Based in the comments and use the email address for your BB Kids or BB subscription.
