How to attract a global audience to your local brand

Did you always set out to create a footwear and swimwear brand?

Andrea: Bali is home to many talented craftspeople, which gave us room to experiment with different categories in the early stages without too much financial risk. We trialled a range of bags and swimwear in our second year. But footwear is where our passions lie and what excites us the most. There have been moments when we tried to pull the swimwear, but that was met with some backlash (laughs). It has become part of the brand’s DNA. For SS26, we designed our first full swimwear collection, pushing boundaries in the way we do with footwear. We’re seeing how our visual identity can shine through across a varied product range. 

Sarah: We first designed swimwear for styling purposes, before we even had the conversation about adding it to the collection.

Andrea: The selection may seem unusual; footwear and swimwear don’t naturally go hand in hand, but that’s what makes it authentic. Our approach has always been intuitive rather than calculated, and people seem to connect with that. There are definitely products that could live ‘in between’ that we’d love to explore. But for now, we’re focused on refining our current offering.

Dirt launched during COVID. What was the impact on a newly established brand? 

Andrea: It’s a bit conflicting to look back on. From a brand perspective, that extra time gave us a real window to experiment. There was a noticeable shift toward supporting small businesses and independent designers, which helped us grow a community of early supporters online. 

Sarah: If we had launched more traditionally, with investors, tight budgets and strict deadlines, the story would have been different. Looking back, we’re grateful for the sense of freedom we had. It’s largely why that period felt positive for us from a brand perspective.

Did anyone ever advise against Bali as the brand’s home site? 

Andrea: Bali has a very entrepreneurial spirit. In recent years, there has been an increase in brands that stand out on a global scale, like Isa Boulder, Belle Anna, DEVÁ STATES. But, of course, there are moments when we encounter the limits. 

Sarah: In the beginning, that physical disconnect was an advantage. We didn’t feel pressured to follow the traditional calendar. Bali’s slow pace allowed us to grow at our own speed, launching products whenever we felt ready. Now that we’re entering the wholesale market, we’ve had to adjust our pace and structure, and it has made us realise the perks that come from being based somewhere more connected to the industry. 

Andrea: Being in London for the last couple of months has highlighted the lack of organic networking opportunities we have in Bali. We’ve travelled a lot with the brand, but it’s different when those connections only happen in short bursts.

To what degree does the pace of life in an island like Bali influence the way a fashion brand operates?

Andrea: Bali has a unique energy. It’s a very reactive place, which has pushed us to become strong problem solvers, and that comes through in the way we work. We constantly encounter roadblocks, so being adaptive has become a big part of our process. Also, a sense of surrender and trusting that things will work out is something we’ve absorbed from our environment and carried into how we run the brand.

What opportunities do you lean into to create visibility? 

Andrea: Up until now, social media has been vital to our visibility and growth. It gave us immediate access to a global audience. Working with our sales agency has also expanded our reach to brick-and-mortar stores and other online spaces. More recently, figuring out how to bring our online community into something more tangible has been an ongoing topic of conversation. How to translate our digital presence into a physical one.  

At what point did you fully commit to Dirt? 

Sarah: Both of us were working full-time when we laid the groundworks for Dirt.  

Andrea: After two years, it eventually reached a point where it was taking up as much time as a full-time job. We knew it would be hard to grow unless we committed fully. The momentum was there. Financially, it was a huge sacrifice for both of us to leave our positions. We each invested AUD 400 at the very beginning, enough to cover our first round of sampling. We photographed those and took pre-orders on Instagram to fund the next round and keep things moving. Most of what we’ve earned since has been reinvested into the business; we’re still entirely self-funded.

Sarah: Even though we were already investing a lot of time in it by then, it was still mostly a side hustle, a fun thing for us to work on together.  

Andrea: It was only after taking that leap that we started talking seriously about what we wanted the brand to become. We stepped into it with zero expectations and didn’t anticipate things to take off the way they did. Timing-wise, our references to the late 90s and early 00s worked in our favour as that era was starting to come back into fashion.

Coming from a non-fashion background, is it daunting or creatively freeing? 

Sarah: It’s a constant back-and-forth. It was definitely daunting at first, especially when we started developing our designs and working with custom rubber soles, which required a level of technical understanding we didn’t have. Creatively, it’s hard to say, as neither of us can compare. I like to think it allows us to think outside the box in some aspects and to trial and error, from which we continue to learn and grow. This non-traditional start has shaped how we design. We approach everything through problem-solving. Our first shoe started by tracing our feet and cutting the pattern out of cardboard, which became the base for the outsole.

Andrea: There have definitely been moments, especially as we’ve started operating on a more global scale, where we’ve felt imposter syndrome. We often have to remind ourselves to quiet that noise. Otherwise, it can easily detract from our progress.

Could you elaborate on the ins and outs of running a brand that operates from Bali, but has a foothold in Europe and beyond? For example, is the bulk of the work done from Bali, or remotely?   

Sarah: The designing itself is very hands-on, but most can be done remotely. As the brand grows, we plan to make trips to China more frequent and stay longer during the sampling and development stages. We have to factor in a lot of extra time now due to shipping delays. Logistics is definitely one of the biggest hurdles.

Andrea: About a year ago, we started working with our then-business consultant, Louise, who has now become a core part of the team. Through her, we connected with our sales agency, Awaykin, based in London. Our PR is handled out of New York, and we work with people across marketing, production, and logistics in Australia and China. So, as the brand expands, we’re figuring out how to separate tasks and manage things more efficiently. Our work structure and hours are quite unconventional, but not being bound to one place means I can be in London, Sarah in Bali, and Louise in Paris, and things still run. 

Sarah: Operating remotely was always the plan, so it feels rewarding to have reached that point. Next is figuring out how to grow the team this way. In the coming years, we’ll have to start seriously thinking about where the next home for the brand will be. 

Where does the difference lie between the initial showroom in Bali and those in New York and Paris today? 

Andrea: Their purpose. The one in Bali acts as our creative studio, which we later opened up to customers by appointment. Because Bali is such a transient place, we’ve met many people through this space, including stylists and photographers with whom we later collaborated. The showrooms in New York and Paris run by our sales agency serve a more traditional purpose, where buyers come in to preview upcoming collections. In Bali, those visiting the showroom are direct customers, whereas in Paris, buyers select pieces for their stores; so you lack that one-on-one connection with the end customer. Whenever we travel, we always wonder about our local community. Through activations and in-person events, we aim to scale without losing that sense of community.  

How is the divide in traction between Indonesia and other markets? 

Andrea: We have a relatively small customer base in Indonesia compared to overseas markets. We currently work with one store in Bali and another in Jakarta, but our biggest markets are the US and Australia. As we’ve started partnering with more stockists, we’ve seen our audience grow steadily in the UK and across Europe. Looking ahead, we’d love to expand within Asia, particularly in Japan, South Korea, and, of course, China, where our footwear is produced.

You shifted shoe production to China. When and why did you make this decision? 

Andrea: Three years ago, when we started working with custom rubber soles. Developing the Range sole, our first custom sole, took over a year, mainly due to technical and financial constraints. We wanted to keep production local, but manufacturers in Bali don’t work with mould casting, and in Java, no one was willing to take on smaller-scale projects. Although a major industry in Indonesia, most footwear factories operate on a much larger, commercial level. That pushed us to look overseas, and eventually, we found a family-run business in China, which made the transition feel more personal and familiar.

On social media, there is surprisingly little imagery that would suggest you’re Bali-based; concrete is a recurring backdrop. Is this in any way a strategic choice? 

Sarah: I think it comes down to personal taste and what we’re visually drawn to.

Andrea: I think people have an idea of Bali only being this tropical paradise, so it often comes as a surprise when we say that most of our shoots are set in Bali. We’re just naturally drawn to locations that feel rugged and a bit brutalist. Even when we shoot swimwear, usually it’s against the back wall of a warehouse, a metal gate, or something in that realm.

Do you ever see the brand expanding its horizons, shifting into other categories? 

Sarah: As mentioned, we trialled different products in the early stages. But we were like, hold up, let’s reel it back in, concentrate on and perfect the products we have, and then we can think about introducing something else. We’d love to bring other products into the mix eventually, but only when the time is right. 

Andrea: There’s definitely room to experiment, but it’s still early days. Even within footwear, we’re careful not to overdevelop or dilute the collection. We’re happy to let the brand evolve organically and not feel pressured into constantly doing more. This past year has been a big turning point, as we started working with wholesale accounts, and that’s when we felt a real shift in our dynamic and audience. For now, our focus is on continuing to grow our community, both online and in person.

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