The Value of Fragility

“Since I was a child, I’ve done voluntary work and I was a Scout; perhaps from these experiences was born the desire to do something positive for others, which led me to become an entrepreneur in the third sector.” Anna Fiscale, a 34-year-old from Verona, Italy, is the director of Quid. This social enterprise employs 150 people by turning fragility into value. The project was born in 2013 out of Fiscale’s concern for women on the margins of society and from the awareness that reusing surplus material from textile companies could be an ethical business. The idea was such a good one that today the company, a sustainable fashion workshop, serves major partners such as Calzedonia and Ikea. Translated into numbers, this work is worth more than 1,200 square kilometers of recovered fabrics.

But this is just the end of the story. To understand how Fiscale got there, and how she made such an impact, we need to retrace her path from the beginning. After majoring in Economics in Verona, that path took her to India for an experience with an NGO dedicated to the protection of women. The next leg of her journey was a Master’s in Economics and Management of International Institutions and NGOs at Bocconi in Milan. Here she learned how useful economic skills can be in designing activities that serve the common good. 

For Fiscale, however, the most important lessons came from her travels. “Traveling helped me to open my mind. I went to India, and then during my Master’s I had the chance to go to Haiti after the earthquake, at a complex time, during the reconstruction. I studied how to avoid wasting resources, the economic aid coming from other countries,” she adds. 

Over time, Quid has grown, collaborating with Fendi, L’Oréal, and Calzedonia. More recently, Fiscale has been working to set up an ethical partnership with IKEA. It is a mission that drives her to be a leader capable of communicating a long-term vision to her team. In her words: “We have a young team. My aim is to help the people who work with me grow, so in turn they can do the same with the people who work with them.” 

Back in Verona, she and her colleague Ludovico Mantoan decided to create a gender-inclusive project that would give jobs to women. This was the inspiration for Quid, and the beginning of a collaboration with the women’s section of the Montorio Prison. With the support of Sandro Veronesi, founder and president of Calzedonia, who invested in the project, Quid sold its first accessories and clothes. 
Fiscale recounts: “What I liked best at the time, and what still motivates me today, is the possibility of having an impact on people’s lives.” In short, to see them grow and hope again. 

Married with two children (and number three on the way), Fiscale says that being an entrepreneur and a mother is a daily challenge: “It’s a constant search for balance, but it’s important to be supported on this journey, we need partners who really step up with childcare. For me, this was crucial.” To the younger generations, she wants to remind them that they have “endless possibilities” and that training opportunities in the social sphere have multiplied. “Map out the companies that interest you, read up... and then pack your bags. Be curious about the world and its problems,” she concludes.