A GLIMPSE OF HOPE. My way to start a social business. | Nathalie Schaller | TEDxTuebingen
The speaker, having been initially set to a legal career, pivoted to founding a social fashion company after encountering the reality of modern slavery in Cambodia. She argues that art and enterprise, specifically fashion using skills trained in self-sufficiency, can provide genuine pathways to freedom and rebuild a sense of purpose for survivors. The strongest evidence is the company's name, "Glimpse," which reflects the small but powerful sparks of hope they are able to generate through the women's stories.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker (Unknown, former law student): Originally planned to pursue a career in law but found a different calling.
- Setting: Giving a TEDxTalk in Tübingen.
- Context: The talk stems from months spent abroad volunteering with an organization focused on socially-deprived areas.
## Theses & Positions
- The problem of slavery is greater today than in previous eras, with an estimated **45 million people** living in bondage.
- The personal experience of seeing vulnerable women's lives illuminated the speaker's lack of opportunity in her privileged upbringing.
- A viable solution to help survivors is through providing **training and jobs** in a non-exploitative setting, like seamstress work.
- The mission is to shift the global message from *"sex sells"* to *"love sells"*, attributing value to items made with love.
- The key to addressing large global problems is to **tackle problems head on**, even with local efforts.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Forced prostitution / Human trafficking / Modern day slavery:** Terms describing contemporary forms of bondage that are conceptually different from historical forms of slavery.
- **Social Fashion Company:** A business model dedicated to empowering marginalized women by providing skills training and employment.
- **Seamstresses:** The specific trade/job skill provided to the women for rehabilitation.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Initial realization:** Witnessing the profound disparity between her life of "freedom" and the women's existence characterized by "coercion and violence."
- **Solution development:** Teaming up with Teresa Gaby Ramsurn (a fashion designer) and a digital media designer to create a business model.
- **Skill transfer/Training:** The CHAIIM Foundation provided not only sewing lessons but also foundational education like **maths** and **English**, and basic lifeskills (e.g., "handling money, organizing a budget, how to brush your teeth").
- **Business Iteration:** Faced initial hurdles, including the collection being stuck for days at customs because of ignorance regarding the **importation process**.
- **Structure shift:** Established a separate **charity** entity alongside the profit-making business.
## Named Entities
- **Tübingen:** Location where the talk was given.
- **Cambodia:** Country where the speaker volunteered and encountered the issues of forced prostitution.
- **Gargi:** A specific case study of a victim sold by her mother to a man who was a human-trafficker.
- **Linda:** Another case study of a victim abused by her stepfather, who subsequently ran away.
- **Teresa Gaby Ramsurn:** Friend and fashion designer who joined the initiative from Munich.
- **CHAIIM Foundation:** Partner organization in India that opened the sewing workshop.
## Numbers & Data
- Estimated global number of enslaved people: **45 million**.
- Proportion of the world's population represented by the number 45 million: **more than half the population of Germany**.
- Age of Gargi when sold: **12**.
- Age of the man who sold Gargi: **50**.
- Founding year of the company: **2013**.
- Number of collections currently available: **sixth collection**.
- Number of stores selling clothes: around **20 stores** in **Germany, Austria, Switzerland**, plus online.
- Number of women helped over the last 3 years: **more than a dozen women**.
## Examples & Cases
- **Gargi's story:** Sold by her mother to a man who lied about marriage, leading her to work as a sex slave in a brothel.
- **Linda's story:** Abused by her stepfather, she ran away, was held maltreated by men, and was found "half-dead by the police."
- **The "seamstresses" role:** The women gain skills through the CHAIIM Foundation, leading to beautiful articles of clothing sold in Germany.
- **Positive Life Outcomes:** Women learning to form loving relationships, marrying for love in a culture of arranged marriages, and achieving school leaving qualifications.
- **The Shopaholic Change:** The speaker herself transitioned from being a shopaholic to celebrating new collections made possible by the women.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Fashion company/Brand:** "Glimpse."
- **Workshop:** Sewing workshop opened with support in India.
- **Clothing:** The primary product, sold in physical stores and online.
## References Cited
- None explicitly cited as external academic works; the experience is personal narrative built upon international fieldwork.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Initial path:** Law firm work (father's expectation).
- **Alternative vision:** Remaining in the cycle of prostitution/slavery versus establishing a self-sustaining enterprise.
- **Business realization:** The team initially lacked knowledge of the fashion market, requiring them to learn the "hard way" (e.g., customs issues).
- **Support mechanism:** The development of a dedicated **charity** to support the business effort.
## Methodology
- Ethnographic observation during volunteering in Cambodia.
- Collaboration model: Combining the skills of a fashion designer (Teresa Gaby), a digital media designer, and a lawyer (the speaker).
- Partnering with NGOs (CHAIIM Foundation) to provide local infrastructure (sewing workshops).
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The central focus is not on the sheer number of people helped (**"maybe not so many"** compared to 45 million), but on the **spark of hope** provided.
- The key action required is to **tackle problems head on**, as the speaker found freedom to do so after needing to travel halfway around the world.
- The message to the audience: Find the courage to take on something, giving others a "tiny glimpse."
## Implications & Consequences
- **Social Impact:** Survivors gain self-determination, moving beyond coercion to forming families and professional lives.
- **Market Impact:** The market receives a message that value resides in human connection and love, not exploitation ("not 'sex sells', but 'love sells'").
- **Organizational Shift:** The necessity of transforming a commercial venture into a dedicated charitable undertaking to broaden public awareness.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"I've run into a problem that I don't seem to be able to put down."*
- *"It is estimated that 45 million people live in slavery."*
- *"I grew up here, privileged, in a world in perfect order. These women got to know little more than coercion and violence."*
- *"There were just too many choices."* (Regarding the speaker's career prospects)
- *"The man was a human-trafficker and simply took Gargi to the next town and sold her to a brothel..."*
- *"Our vision was for women to be freed from prostitution, forced prostitution, provided with training and jobs - as seamstresses - according to their capabilities, and thus provided with a future and a way back into society."*
- *"It's a spark of hope."*
- *"We decided to call our business 'Glimpse'."*
- *"The key is to tackle problems head on."*