Sep 22, 2021
The IDEAl Tray
Our perfect little console tray comes from the very talented IDEA Woodsmith workshop in Yangon. Specifically, it comes from an old building in Yangon.
Yangon Post
Aug 18, 2021
The Tattooed Women of Southern Chin
Deep in the west of Burma, a two-day drive from Yangon where Chin State meets Rakhine State, live a group of women with facial tattoos. They are the women of the Southern Chin and are the largest group of traditionally face-tattooed women in Asia.
Where does this tradition come from? Why do they do it? And what do the tattoos mean? Much of this remains a mystery, but thanks to the tireless work of Jens Uwe Parkitny, we do have some level of understanding about these remarkable women.
Aug 05, 2021
Yangon Post: Issue Three | Spring/Summer 2021
Issue 3 of our newspaper has landed! It was supposed to hit the shelves in February, but we put it on pause as the news of the military takeover unfolded across Burma. However, the people and places beyond the headlines and behind our products are still there, and so are their stories. We have decided to keep telling them. Starting now.
Jun 23, 2021
Let's talk about tea
We Brits are super into tea. We're very particular about it. It's so "British" isn't it? A cuppa with your breakfast, another with your mid-morning garibaldi. Tea and a Twix while you ruminate over a thorny issue.
But what if I told you that tea is even more Burmese to the Burmese than British to the Brits?
Jun 09, 2021
Prints from Myanmar
Here is a nice way you can support Burma while it goes through this period of struggle. It has has been set up by a group of photographers who have lived in Myanmar over the past 8 years. They are selling limited editions of 10 prints of a beautiful selection of photographs.
Below are some of my favourites, but click the button at the bottom to see them all.
Jun 04, 2021
We're back on the waves
I can hardly believe I'm writing this, but our container finally left Yangon on Wednesday.
This is the third time I've had this feeling in the last year. The first was...
May 21, 2021
Inside Kalinko Homes
We want to turn the spotlight on the people without whom Kalinko would not exist. The people who enable us to do what we do. The people whose support means we can support all of our makers.
It's time to tell our customers' stories.
Starting with Sarah.
May 07, 2021
See this big pile of rattan?
It's about to become hundreds and hundreds of bins. Bins and trays and bowls. Oh, and placemats, and planters, umbrella stands and side tables. And did we say laundry bins? Piles of laundry bins for piles of laundry.
We're making as many as we can, because we know you're waiting for them. In the meantime...
Apr 28, 2021
How much do you love your dog?
This is Digby.
Digby is Margie's dog.
Margie really loves Digby.
Want to know how much she loves him?
Feb 17, 2021
BACK IN STOCK. And why this is important.
The shelves are full, and our resolve is stronger than ever.
If you've been following our recent emails (this one and this one) you'll know that we've all been waiting for this shipment to arrive for a very long time. You’ll also know that the future of how day-to-day life will feel in Burma is currently on a knife-edge. Nobody knows what this afternoon will bring, let alone tomorrow, next week or next year.
Feb 08, 2021
I spoke too soon.
We've had plenty to think about over the last week in Burma. It's incredibly sad, very unsettling and has shaken us, our friends and our team in Burma. At this stage it's hard to predict what the next few days will bring, let alone what the long-term impact will be. We're taking things day by day for now.
Jan 27, 2021
The Ship is Coming In. Finally.
This time next week, assuming no further curveballs, this glorious container should be backing up to our warehouse and opening its doors. Doors which should have been opened nearly four months ago. Doors which have been sealed shut for weeks battling through queues in Yangon, sitting piled high in the port in Singapore and getting clogged in the Suez Canal. Doors behind which are thousands of beautiful, individual, handmade products desperate to go to their new homes, and which hundreds of you have been waiting patiently for since October...