We work with over 250 of Burma's most talented artisans. They live all over the country, usually in rural villages. Many work from home, or from small family-run workshops.
An average family in Burma is made up of four people. 38% are farming families and live off less than $300 a month. However, adequate nutrition, healthcare and education for four costs around $750. Our mission is to close this gap through consistent orders for as many families as possible.
These people are some of the most talented artisans in the world. Their products are made slowly, by hand, using techniques passed down through generations. They are made to last and each piece is unique.
However, most artisans live in remote, rural communities, where the demand for their products is dwindling. Cheap, factory made imports are undercutting their trade, often forcing them into unskilled farming to supplement their income. We want to reverse this.
Scroll down to meet our makers and learn about their processes
Meet the Glassblowers
Watch them at work
Glassware
Our glassware is all handblown from recycled glass in a workshop just outside Yangon. Click below to learn all about the workshop, the products and the design.
Watch our glassware coming to life
Explore their products
Meet the Rattan Weavers
Watch them at work
Rattan Collection
Our rattan weavers live in the Pathein district of Burma. Click below to learn about them, their villages and the rattan weaving process.
Watch our rattan ice bucket coming to life.
Explore their products
Meet the Carpenters
Watch our Rangoon Chair being made
See the Salad Bowl being carved
Woodwork
We work with a few different carpentery workshops. Lin Tin makes our chairs and luggage racks. IDEA make our cabinetry and wooden trays. Our smaller pieces are made in tiny family workshops in Bago. Click below to meet Lin Tin.
Watch our Rangoon Chair coming to life
Watch our salad bowl being carved by hand
Discover their products
Meet the Coppersmiths
Watch them at work
The Irrawaddy Brass Collection
The brass workshop is in Burma's Sagaing region. It is on the banks of the Irrawaddy, about half way up. These guys usually make brass Buddhas: big ones, small ones, medium ones. So our collection is something a bit different for them. Click below to learn more about them and their products.
Watch the candlesticks be hammered into shape
Explore their products
Meet the Marblers
Watch them at work
Mandalay Marble Collection
Our marblers live in a town called "Marble" just north of Mandalay, under the shadow of a huge marble mountain. Click below to read all about them and their craft.
See our storage jars being smoothed
Discover their products
Meet the Lacquerworkers
Watch them at work
Lacquerware
Our lacquer is made in Bagan. Hundreds of people are involved in the lacquer craft up there. We work with a family who have been making it for generations. Everyone's involved! Click below to read about them, their home and their work.
Watch the eggshell pieces being laid by hand
Our lacquer products are designed to delight. A tiny gold leaf lacquer bowl for your tiny needs, and a much larger collection of eggshell laid decorative bowls to make a real statement on your coffee table.
Meet the Backstrap Weavers
Watch them at work
Cushions & Bedspreads
Backstrap weaving is an ancient weaving method practiced all over Burma. The looms are wooden and are strapped around the body of the weaver. Click below to read more.
It takes about an hour to weave just a few centimetres using this ancient weaving method. Watch the process here.
Discover their handwoven cushions
Meet the Treadle Loom Weavers
Read about Natural Dyes
Cushions & Bedspreads
Our treadle loom weavers live just outside Mandalay, in a town called Amarapura. The whole town beats to the sound of the clacking looms as the shuttles scoot back and forth.
Take a deep dive into natural dye
Discover their products
Meet the Toy Makers: Papier Mâché
Meet the Toy Makers: Elephants
Kalinko Kids
Sagaing region in central Burma is the historic home of these little friends. The papier mâché is wrapped around a wooden mould, then the mould is teased out and the two halves glued together and painted. There are only a handful of makers still giving life to these exotic adventurers.
These adorable Ele-pals are made by the Salesian Sisters, a group of nuns from a hill-station called Pyin-Oo-Lwin nestled in the Shan Highlands of Burma. Designed by Hla Day (a wonderful Yangon-based social enterprise), these elephants partially fund a training program run by the Sisters for young women from rural communities.
Explore their products
Meet the Bamboo Workers
This is Pawl Ding Liana and her husband Sang Liani. They live right up in Myitkyina, in the north of Burma. They have been married for 20 years and making stools together for 30. Domestic orders have almost dried up as most people now buy plastic ones instead. They're actually largely responsible for Kalinko existing - we bought 6 from them back in 2016 and couldn't bare the idea of them going out of business, so started thinking about how we could help...!
Meet the Naga Weavers
Naga Wall Hanging
Kalinko Kids
This is Ma Dim Tawng. She and her family and friends make all of our Naga beanbags and wall hangings.
The cream fabric is handwoven on an old treadle loom (the one that looks a bit like an organ), then the little figures are sewn on by hand. Click below to learn about the figures.
Explore her products
Meet the Wall Art Weavers
Watch them at work
Learn about the patterns
Our nine panels are made by nine of Burma's most talented weavers. They live in IDP camps just north of Yangon.
Each of our panels comes from a larger stretch of fabric, with each 40cm stretch taking up to a week to weave.
The hidden meaning within our wall art; these patterns have been passed down through generations, and their meaning is as old as the trade.
