Myint's story is as much about fresh starts as it is about giving back. She settled in New Zealand as a teen, later earning a business degree and building a career in fashion retail before co-founding a business.

But she wanted to do something that meant more. Myint has always felt a strong pull to help people who struggle to get on their feet - so in 2019 she started Reca on her own as a project while working full time. It's not just a business, it's a way to support women artisans in countries where opportunities are hard to come by.

Myint believes in the power of giving back and is committed to using Reca to support other women - one step at a time, in a down-to-earth, genuine way.

Mae Sot is where the heart of Reca's story took shape. This Thai border town sits at the edge of Myanmar, a place many people cross to escape persecution and hardship - a migration that has risen sharply in recent years. It is also a town where sweatshops, trafficking and exploitation are a daily reality for vulnerable women.

In January 2020, we visited the Suwannimit Foundation, meeting the team behind its work and some of the women being supported through its training project. What we saw there shaped a commitment to return and change what we can. In partnership with the Suwannimit Foundation, Reca will provide seamstress training that equips a woman to earn a living wage, alongside a safehouse, a workspace, childcare and other support for women escaping domestic violence and hardship.

Our aim is for the operation to become self-governing, so that the facilities we help establish grow into lasting community hubs - supporting not just the makers, but their families and communities. In time, we hope to build workshops like these throughout Myanmar and wider South East Asia.

Every purchase, and every review, brings the Mae Sot project a step closer.