Blood+Bone, Story & History Behind A Name
There’s a quote saying “words have meaning, and names have power.” We, at Blood+Bone, believe that religiously. Our name is something we take pride in — as an identity, a philosophy, a story that unites everyone together, and a reminder of our goal to become the benchmark of a local fashion brand in Indonesia.
Blood+Bone’s name is our first story. It slid out of the ether when our founder recalled a beautiful tale about Indonesia’s national flag that has been passed on from generation to generation. From that story, the name was born and so was Blood+Bone.
Sang Saka Merah Putih, the honorary name for Indonesia’s flag, was first adopted as the national ensign on August 17, 1945, at the declaration of independence moment. The ensign is characterized by two contrasting colors — red on the upper part and white on the bottom part. Legend has it, the red-and-white flag has been the identity of ancient Indonesian society since the inauguration of the Majapahit Kingdom, which thrived around the 13th century until the 16th century.
Our name is inspired by the philosophy and traditional symbolism of the colors in the Merah Putih flag. Red is the color of blood that symbolizes courage. Meanwhile, white is the color of bone that symbolizes strength and purity. Bloods and bones are the foundation of Indonesia’s endeavor in the past as a symbol of resilience.
Blood+Bone lives by the name and the symbolism behind it. We are proud to be the embodiment of local resilience that strives with the Merah Putih philosophy through the means of fashion. Therefore, we incorporate this wisdom into our designs, products, and work ethics. We are born out of stories; therefore, we are bound to share stories about Indonesia and Bali, in particular, with its nature and people.
Our name helped Blood+Bone to lay the foundation of our craftsmanship when we first opened our store in Canggu, back in 2015. Our dedication to local craftsmanship has helped us grow as a local fashion brand in Bali that caters to everyone around the globe. We work with local manufacturers on the island to produce and engrave the stories of Bali into high-quality contemporary fashion products.
The dedication to the local community helps Blood+Bone into what we are now. Local resilience has allowed the people of Bali to survive through the ups and downs. Such red-and-white resilience has inspired Blood+Bone to become more than just a fashion brand. We aim to be a collective work and a gift from Bali to Bali.
This is our story and our history.
