The demands of a normal workplace are too great, and they don’t feel at home in a workshop for people with disabilities – cross-border commuters are special people. With us, the challenges of the working world are tailored to their abilities – in the truest sense of the word.
How it all began
Sometimes you just have to do it. Sigrid Regensberger knows this very well. Her daughter Julia is a border crosser and is therefore one of those people who cannot really be integrated into a conventional working model. That’s why the dedicated mother takes matters into her own hands. It all started in 2015 with the idea of sewing ponchos for the Christmas market. The first collection was created in a sewing studio measuring just 40 square meters in Bruneck’s upper town, with the words VergissMeinNichtwritten in white letters on the window facing the street. Sometimes success stories start small…
Sigrid Regensberger (initiator)
Sigrid, without you there would be no Vergissmeinnicht…
… no, we wouldn’t exist without Julia. Before our daughter was born, I could never have imagined what it means to have a borderline child. As every parent does for their child, we were committed to her well-being. She was well included at school. But then came the last school year and Julia fell into a hole.
What was affecting her so much?
Julia is a very sensitive person. She realized that her classmates were now going to university or had a job – only she wouldn’t be able to do that under the circumstances. That was a terrible time. I had already looked everywhere to find out what projects were available for people like her. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I had to do something myself. A friend gave me the idea of opening a sewing workshop. Our first product: the poncho.
A difficult start?
By the time we got to that point, many slips of paper had ended up in the bin. The success of our product surprised even us. People were talking about us in every respect. Many thought that we were financed entirely by public money and donations. But that’s not true. We now generate 89 percent of our turnover ourselves. The rest is the support we receive for our cross-border commuters from the public sector and private sponsors.
What does it mean to be a person with special needs?
Being a cross-border commuter means not really belonging anywhere. Not being able to be integrated in a normal workplace because the challenges are too great. And having the feeling of not being in the right place in a workshop for people with disabilities. We always say that Vergissmeinnicht is a place for the people in between. Those who have been forgotten – hence the name.
How do people react?
We don’t have customers, we have fans. And that’s great. Many people buy from us again and again. They love our products, not only because of their quality, but also because they are individual pieces. The fact that they buy them with the awareness that they are giving special people in their lives a chance certainly plays a part. But it’s also because of the quality.
What else characterises the products?
Nobody is perfect. There is a whole range of sizes to choose from. If a piece doesn’t fit, it is changed. It’s as simple as that. We also make models for people with disabilities, amputations or other health restrictions who can’t find clothes that fit them. This also reflects the social character of the project. There are sometimes tears because some people are not used to being thought of.
Markus Pescoller (President)
Our team
Inclusion is a big word. We live it. We sew, sell, discuss and laugh with cross-border commuters, people who have had to leave their homeland, women who want to make a new start in their careers and many volunteers who give us their time and expertise. In the midst of life – in the midst of life – that’s us.
There are days when she feels so much pressure in her head and can’t concentrate in the morning.
There are days when he can’t look at patterned fabrics for long because everything starts spinning.
There are days when there are just too many people in the room…
Cross-border commuters face many challenges like these in their working lives. Giving them the peace of mind they need, creating suitable premises and ensuring that their needs are met while they are still challenged is just one of the tasks of the social cooperative. It is like a wide net, to which the employees also belong. They consciously choose this job because the tasks are so varied and exciting. And because it makes them happy to help others grow. And then there are the volunteers. These people give their time to Vergissmeinnicht for very different reasons. Some have experienced strokes of fate themselves, others want to give something back because they have been lucky in life. And they all say that it feels good to be part of a community. At Vergissmeinnicht, everyone contributes what they can do best.
