Tapping into infinite potential
FOUNDED in 2015 by “mummy friends” Joanna Moss and Bethany Dawson, Changgih Designs seeks to empower women, namely mothers, through work opportunities and vocational training.
“Bethany and I met by chance and we were both new mums at the time so we shared ‘new mummy’ experiences; we quickly became good friends,” said Moss in an e-mail interview. “We wanted to start something together for our babies, but at the same time, to give back to the community too.
“So, we started a baby clothing line inspired by the beauty of Borneo and its people.”
The company began selling baby clothes in the US, and their products were a hit. This gave Moss and Dawson the confidence to add more to the collection and ultimately, expand the business.
This was when their signature product – The Changgih Infinity Scarf – was created. The collection now includes headbands and bags, as well as skirts.
Changgih works with local artisans, mostly women and mothers, to come up with the items and help out with the company.
“We want to provide other mums like ourselves with the opportunity to work while looking after their children,” said Moss.
“We started with one lady and through friends, introductions and word of mouth, other women started coming to us instead of the other way round. This type of referral pattern is of the utmost importance to us as it shows trust, and trust is the foundation of any social enterprise,” she explained.
Its “family” of artisans has grown over a short period. Moss and Dawson now have a team of 30 on their roster.
Moss added that most of the women who work with Changgih have a base interest in sewing and designing – skills are improved along the way.
“What matters more to us is that the Changgih women have an interest and we want the overall experience of being a part of the company to be fun and motivating. We also feel that having senior artisans provide vocational training to newcomers is a seamless way of learning. We found that with this tiered system, our artisans have more pride in their work,” said Moss.
Apart from giving work and training opportunities for women in their communities, Changgih also runs a charity programme called Give10toSabah.
Funds are collected from the sale of Changgih products, in which 10% of the profits go to Give10toSabah. The money is then disbursed to community projects and disaster relief efforts.
Among the programmes that are on the company’s list are arranging and organising skillbased vocational training, English classes and job training courses. A few months ago, the company – via its Give10toSabah programme – was able to provide basic necessities to flood victims in Kota Belud.
“At Changgih Designs we do not believe in ‘dumping’ our help. Each time we facilitate a community project we discuss with the elders in a community in order to come up with a way to help that is long term and sustainable. There is a very fine line between helping and creating a negative dependency,” shared Moss. Helping hand: