All the artworks and designs are made by Filip Suryana, who has been painting since the age of five under the guidance of his father, Yan Suryana, who is a renowned Indonesian painter. At the age of 17, after graduating from high school, he decided to become a professional artist and start a business. On 19th November 2013 he created the Burning Ocean logo and by 2014 he hand-printed the first product prototypes in his basement. Growing up in Bali, Indonesia, one of the values he learned was the traditional Balinese philosophy ‘Tri Hita Karana’. Roughly translated as: ‘the three reasons for prosperity’; achieved by keeping the harmony between God, people, and nature.
Burning Ocean has two main foundations which we embody in our working practices. Firstly, it’s a metaphor about our ambition to reach our goals. Normally people wouldn‘t think that it's possible for water to burn, especially to engulf the ocean in flames. But it is possible to achieve the goals that we visualise, even if others don’t believe that we can. Secondly, it’s a metaphor about the destruction of the ocean and the rest of the world. We are 'burning' the ocean, taking what we want, and giving our trash in return. Our greed and disrespect is throwing the Earth’s system off balance, that’s why we fight for sustainability.
What do we want to create? Who is it for? Why? Burning Ocean doesn't try to fit in with a certain group of people. We develop the brand in our own artistic way and we attract those who like what we do. As a result, we create a niche for people who enjoy the aesthetic value of art, fashion, and sustainability. Our slogan speaks for itself: 'the art of conscious fashion'. Our products carry stories about an intricate handmade craft of meaningful, ethical, and quality clothes dedicated to perfection. We believe in continuous improvement, focus, patience, and gratitude. We believe in creating success from our passion.
We value quality over quantity. The world is over-spilling with clothes; the fast fashion consumerism cycle is drowning quality and creativity. As a result, many people underappreciate the craftsmanship of fashion and are ignorant about the ethical consequences of over-production. We don’t follow these trends; we only have one collection per year because we take our time to craft and continuously perfect our products. Our strict testing and quality control system and lifetime sewing service warranty ensures longer product life, this means less waste for the future. More doesn’t always mean more, less can also mean more.
The environmental and social consciousness of companies is often merely a marketing strategy, but we embed these values in our working practices and in the message that each product carries. We choose to work with certified eco-friendly fabrics for our products and recycled paper for our marketing collaterals. The production is transparent; all products are handcrafted in safe, clean, and fair home industries in Bali, Indonesia. We support small workshops instead of mass-producers. We have a long-term mindset because we don’t want our children to inherit the chaos that we leave behind. We have a responsibility to fight for the future and sustainability of our planet in our best way.
Our work represents an act of contribution rather than consumption. We're not slaves to numbers; we dedicate ourselves to the art form and we respond to what a sustainable system needs, not just what the consumer wants. We've been blessed with the gift of life and we're products of the Earth. That's why we feel the responsibility to respect and take care of each other and the entire planet. We try to spread positive messages through our craft and use our resources to support social projects. Art and fashion is just the ship but the goal is much bigger. We probably can't change the world, but we can inspire the minds of individuals who could make a positive difference.
"I want more people to realise that nature does not need us, but we need nature."
- Filip Suryana
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