Economia & Impresa sociale
Gianna: Crafts for a better world
At 28, Gianna Driver is the founder of a business more focused on the good it makes than its turnover
Blend style, a passion for women’s rights and a business streak and what do you get? A fair trade accessories company that pays women in developing countries 3 times the salary they would otherwise get.
Gianna is both the name of the company and its 28 year old founder, Gianna Driver. Her mother emigrated to the USA from the Philippines as a mail order bride who then fled her abusive husband, taking Driver with her and bringing her up in a woman’s shelter in East Texas. “The pain and suffering I saw at the shelter gave me the drive to study and make something of my life but after a year at a large insurance company in San Francisco I realized that I wasn’t fulfilled”.
The step from there to becoming the founder of a business which still hasn’t made its first million dollars but that has helped more than 200 women in India, Laos, Thailand and the Philippines, was a step into uncharted territory. “My original idea was to start a business that made professional, eco friendly apparel crafted by women in the slums around the world but quality control and consistency were an issue so, inspired by the beautiful tapestries made by women in Laos, I decided to go for scarves instead”. Today, Gianna sells quilts, pillows, tablecloths and arts and crafts as well.
How it works
The first step is to establish contacts in a community by visiting them and speaking with the village leaders. “Fortunately there is a waiting list of women wanting to work for us, which is a testament to our values and women who are already working with us”. Then Driver’s company provides the women with a loan so that they can buy the equipment they need to work – sewing machines, needles, hammers. “They pay back the value of the machine through the sale of their products, of which the women receive between 25 and 58 per cent, around three times the usual salary for women”.
Currently Driver works with 60 women from slums, villages and impoverished areas. Gianna’s website is full of smiles, laughter and dreams. The first million dollars may take a while in coming but Driver says she doesn’t mind “our mission is to enable other small businesses to be born across the world and crafting a better world together.”
