Milan, July 27: Inmates at Milan's San Vittore prison have been tailoring theatre costumes for the likes of La Scala for the last 15 years.
Gabriella Pidi is not celebrity designer, but with four
years left to serve in jail, she and a dozen fellow inmates
are looking to break into the world of glamour by launching
their own clothing brand.
The inmates at Milan's San Vittore prison were taught
tailoring skills by a local Milan based cooperative, Alice,
which aims to help women behind bars and has operated for
some 15 years in the city's jails.
Already making costumes for opera, theatre and
television productions as well as flowing dresses and
long-sleeved shirts for small shops, they now want to break
out on their own.
"We are working, we are getting there. Shortly, we'll
have a name, a brand, that will probably be connected to
the Alice cooperative name. We are already thinking about
our line. We'll have a cooperation with (designer Anna)
Molinari (Bluemarine), we'll see how this will go," said
Alessandro Brevi, head of the Milan-based Cooperativa Alice.
The women have launched a line of T-shirts and
displayed their work at a prison fashion show in front of
an invited audience and guards, using professional models.
The T-shirts are marketed under the brand 'Jail Cats'
with a motif of cats or prison bars and is sold in
libraries and at the cooperative's headquarters.
"It is a personal satisfaction" said Gabriella Pidi,
carefully snipping across a drape of soft white cloth under
the watchful eye of a prison guard.
"It's great to see that somebody outside the jail, or
anywhere, wears something that is produced inside. It is
great first of all for us inmates." she added.
The rows of clothes and cardboard cut-outs hanging from
the walls of the San Vittore workshop -- which is open late
every day -- could be part of any tailor's workshop.
As Italy's clothing and textile sector is only just
rebounding from a beating by global rivals, the launch of a
new brand will be a challenge. Although the prisoners’ new
line has yet to be named, Italian designer Anna Molinari of
Blumarine has pledged to back it.
For the inmates, some of whom also have chores in the
prison kitchen; the challenge is an exciting prospect.
"This makes me happy. Because it shows out abilities.
Even if we are shut here, we are learning. This shows that people who are in jail can also learn, it shows that it's
not true that people stop learning when they enter a jail,"
said Fedua, a 23-year-old Moroccan who lists Gucci and
Dolce & Gabbana as her favourite designers.
The cooperative, which also has a workshop at Milan's
Opera prison, takes former inmates to work at its
headquarters -- easing the process of finding a job once
out of jail.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, July 27, 2007, 00:00