For the fifth consecutive year, the Göran Bredinger Scholarship is being awarded to a young social entrepreneur who is contributing in an innovative way to solving a societal challenge. This year’s award ceremony will take place in conjunction with the Social Innovation Summit, and the scholarship goes to Henning Gillberg and Repamera – which repairs clothing online—throughout Sweden.
This year, the Göran Bredinger Scholarship, worth 50,000 kronor, is being awarded to Henning Gillberg for his initiative Repamera, which repairs clothing online—throughout Sweden. They also provide repair services for corporate clients. Henning Gillberg launched his business less than two years ago after conducting a market survey on Facebook to find out how many people had damaged clothes in their closets that they wanted to keep wearing. 500 people responded quickly, and the result was that 78 percent answered “yes” to that question. The business took off quickly after that, and today Henning works with both companies and private individuals, including a partnership with Myrornas.
– Repamera is more than just a corporation. It is a grassroots movement that spans all social classes. A grassroots movement that helps Sweden reclaim the culture of repair. And speaking of cultures, why not draw on craftsmanship from other cultures and incorporate that knowledge into Swedish society? Thanks to the Göran Bredinger grant, our grassroots movement will be able to upgrade our sewing machines—so we can handle larger orders more quickly.
The jury’s rationale for this year’s scholarship recipient,
: “This year’s Göran Bredinger scholarship recipient has a business model that fosters an inclusive craft culture. Repamera addresses the need to quickly and easily raise awareness about repairing our clothes through skilled and newly arrived tailors, as well as efficient logistics. Henning Gillberg and Repamera aim to contribute positive impacts on society through a sustainable business with great potential.”
The scholarship is awarded over a ten-year period
A large number of people have applied for the scholarship, which is being awarded for the fifth time this year. Previous recipients include Hanne Pålsson for the Vevios personal safety alarm,Joel Holmbergfor Resledaren, Kristoffer Persson for Studentvikarie, and Sara Magnusson for Experimentfabriken.
The scholarship was established in 2014 by Göran Bredinger and will be awarded over the next ten years (2014–2024).
The jury consists of:
Anders Norman, Chairman of the Board, Innovation Skåne
Eva Engquist, Chair, Form/Design Center
Göran Bredinger, Founder of the Scholarship, CEO of Dieden Invest AB
Hanna Sigsjö, Executive Director, Forum for Social Innovation Sweden
Mikaela Färnqvist, Outreach Manager, Minc
Yasemin Arhan Modéer, CEO, Altitude Meetings
Åsa Skogström Feldt, Leading the Inter Ikea Social Entrepreneurship Initiative