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Cristin Carolin

"My name is Cristin Carolin, and I was born in Bali in 1973. What I do now is closely related to my experiences as a teenager. A family near my house made homespun clothes, and I was very impressed by the way they would spin cotton using traditional techniques. I used to sit there for hours just to watch how they worked. I was told that a garment company was a good place to start and I could work and learn how to weave and make dresses. So I went to the place and worked there for almost two years.

"I learned enough to make me feel confident about starting on my own. I set up a workshop and now, several years later, there are four other people working with me. My main product line features hand-woven ikat clothes.

"There is an experience that I had and will never forget for the rest of my life. When I was in the third year of elementary school, I went to stay with my uncle in Lombok, an island next to Bali. Five years later, my uncle wanted me to marry his son. I was so terrified of getting married at such young age that I ran away! Someone picked me up and took me to my parents' home and the next day, my uncle arrived. He asked me to return and finish my studies there. He promised never to ask me to marry his son again. When I graduated from high school, I went back to Bali and decided to spend the time with my parents, and my sisters."