Thanks to Kylie Taylor and Valerie Khoo, beautiful homewares are giving hope to orphans. By Kate Browne

When Valerie Khoo took a holiday to Cambodia in 2002 with her long-time friend Kylie Taylor, she could have not imagined how much it would change her life. Instead of returning with a tan and tourist trinkets, the pair came back with a plan to set up Taylor & Khoo, a fashion and homewares label that helps disadvantaged groups in Cambodia to generate income and also supports children at the Angkor Orphanage.

"We just wanted to see Angkor Wat and be tourists," says Khoo (far right), 33. But the friends also went to an orphanage in Siem Reap - and that visit had a profound effect. The 60 children shared one toilet and slept on the floor. Babies lay in hammocks and spent their days in isolation. "The conditions were appalling," says Khoo. "We wanted to help."

Capitalising on their interest in clothing and homewares, the women imported items such as silk bedlinen, throws, jewellery and handbags from Cambodia to be sold in Australia in their Sydney store and through Melbourne stockists and their website. They send 100 per cent of the profit back to the orphanage. The pair were so eager to make the project work they moved to Cambodia for three months to learn the business from scratch. "Words can't express how steep our learning curve was," says Khoo.

The venture has had its rewards. "One of the best things is the change in self-esteem for the women who work for us. When one seamstress started, her brother told us she was slow and weak but when we came back, she'd made all these garments and she is proud of the fact she can earn an income for her family."

Taylor and Khoo have maintained their professional businesses - Taylor as a PR consultant and Khoo as a media consultant - at the same time as setting up their joint sideline venture. "We've had to be smart about how we use our time," concedes Khoo. "But we knew we could help these people so why not?"