Hi, I'm Sia.
From November 2025 through January 2026, I traveled through Thailand, Malaysia, Ethiopia, and Rwanda to meet makers and partners and see what’s already being created, and understand how creativity and commerce sustain livelihoods in displacement. I came home with samples and insights and a much clearer picture of what Refugee Made will become.
Why I'm Building This
Like many Hmong families in Thai refugee camps during the 70s–90s, my family relied on paj ntaub or story cloths, stitched by my mother, to get by. They were more than textiles; they were income, stability, and a way forward.
Refugee Made was created with this truth in mind: people find ways to provide for their families even in the hardest circumstances. Commerce sustained mine, and I believe it can do the same for many more if given the chance.
Where Things Stand
The first sourcing trip is complete, and the real work is underway. I’ve spent the months since working through everything I brought back — the samples, the conversations, and potential partnerships — to decide what earns a place in Refugee Made’s first collection.
Some partnerships are moving forward. Others need more time, and that’s by design: every product has to hold up on both fronts — thoughtful design and modern function, with refugee income creation built in.
As the collection takes shape, it will reflect different stages of displacement — goods made during displacement, created in resettlement, or rebuilt at home — with one through-line: products people genuinely want in their homes and lives.
How to Stay in the Loop
Storytelling and community building are at the heart of Refugee Made, and I’ll be sharing the journey as it happens: the makers I meet, the products that take shape, and the lessons that come with turning vision into practice.
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