Be a Biographer for Sexually Exploited Women

Based in Delaware, The Blind Project is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering victims and survivors of the commercial sex trade in Southeast Asia. Its newest initiative, Biographe, aims to bring jobs to women who have escaped, and are in need of job skills and humane employment, by teaching them how to create accessories that will then be sold in the United States. To launch the brand, the organization is hosting the Be a Biographer challenge. The contest invites designers to creatively convey the stories of the survivors in order to raise awareness about the social, political, and economic conditions that contribute to the exploitation of millions of women and girls each year. The contest will be judged by fashion experts, as well as celebrities and survivors. I spoke with The Blind Project's Kevin Kim about the impetus for Be a Biographer.

How did the Be a Biographer initiative come about?

Gender inequality continues to be one of the most pervasive and insidious issues of the 21st century, and is a key contributing factor in luring and confining women into situations of sexual exploitation in all its forms—from trafficking to prostitution. The Blind Project recognizes that economic empowerment is an essential and valuable approach to helping victims and survivors of the commercial sex trade. That's why we wanted to create a social enterprise for survivors with the launch of Biographe. The truth is exactly what Hilary Clinton said, "Talent is universal, but opportunity is not."

We are partnering with NightLight International in Bangkok to build the apparel business from nothing. We are going to start simple with a screen printing program, the aim is to provide orders of Biographe branded accessories for survivors to produce. We teach the women marketable job skills in fashion design and production, and employ them in a positive work environment where they will earn a sustainable living wage.

How will you use the project to raise awareness about sex trafficking and violence against women?

Our brand mission is clear and simple: to tell the world the stories of victims and survivors. As we gather the stories of women, we will create fashions that bring their stories to life through our crowdsourcing design process. Then our team of fashion industry professionals will collaborate with survivors in concepting and manufacturing a premium line of apparel and accessories. Ultimately, if we create stylish and compelling fashion products, this will give our consumers the opportunity to tell the stories of victims and survivors when people ask them the quintessential fashion question: who are you wearing?

Are there other ways women who have been exploited will benefit from this project?

We are defining Biographe as a sustainable style brand with purpose. Fashion products are inspired by survivor stories and made by women who have been rescued from the commercial sex trade. Proceeds from sales are then reinvested back into the women’s lives creating a virtuous cycle. As the profits grow every year with the increase of consumer demand, the amount we can reinvest grows.

The Be a Biographer project features several different stories from women affected by sexual exploitation. Why was it important to use these stories as artistic inspiration for the designs?

The statistics of sexual slavery is undeniably dark and shocking, and it can also seem very foreign. Our hope for Be A Biographer is to present a more human, more expressive face to this problem so that a more personal, one‐to‐one connection is formed between two distinct populations: victims and consumers.

How can people support this project?

Aside from donating start-up capital to build up the social enterprise, we would be honored to have your readers join us in helping spread the word, thinking about the survivors' stories, and being inspired to submit a design.

Video and Photo Credit: The Blind Project