During my time living in Central Java, Indonesia, I stayed in the family home of one of my Indonesian friends on multiple occasions. In my friend’s village, located in the district of Batang, along the north coast of Java, west of Semarang city, almost every woman has the ability to produce exquisitely detailed hand-drawn batik fabric. A walk up a lane or a peep into a neighbour’s house will often reveal a solo entrepreneur contributing their wares to a dynamic cottage industry. However, the lifestyle is hard and the reward almost not enough to justify the patience and hours required to produce fine batik cloth.