HOUNDSTOOTH SOUL
Long before it walked the runways of Paris or Milan, houndstooth had a humbler beginning. Its story starts in the cold hills of Scotland, woven into wool by shepherds centuries ago. The broken check pattern — a dance of light and dark — was born not as a fashion statement, but as a functional fabric, built to endure harsh winds and long winters.
Over time, the pattern travelled. Adopted by the British aristocracy in the 19th century, it crossed the Channel to France and Italy, where couturiers transformed it into a symbol of refined elegance. Worn by royalty, actors, and style icons, houndstooth became shorthand for sophistication — a design that spoke without shouting.
Half a world away, another pattern had been telling its own story for centuries. In Bali, the poleng, a black-and-white checkered cloth, is an everyday sight, though its meaning is anything but ordinary. Draped around temple statues, wrapped around sacred trees, worn by dancers and priests, poleng is a living symbol of balance.
Its alternating black and white squares represent Rwa Bhineda — the Balinese philosophy of duality: good and evil, joy and sorrow, life and death. The message is not that one should triumph over the other, but that harmony is found in their coexistence. Without shadow, there is no light. Without trial, no joy.
When I first saw the poleng, I was struck by its quiet gravity.
It carried the same rhythm as houndstooth — the interplay of opposites — yet each spoke a different language. One whispered of tailoring and European grace; the other sang of rituals, offerings, and the spiritual balance of the universe.
At I AM HERE, we chose not to separate these voices.
Our signature houndstooth is a fusion — the geometry of Europe meeting the sacred harmony of Bali. Each kimono made with this pattern is a bridge between continents, a garment that moves easily between a Parisian boulevard and a Balinese temple courtyard.
To wear it is to carry both worlds:
the elegance of the West and the soul of the East, woven together in a design that is as timeless as it is meaningful.
And this is just the beginning. Each year, I AM HERE will explore a new pattern — a new visual language — reinterpreted to reflect the identity of our collaborators. Because style is not static, and every place has a soul worth weaving into cloth.