industry focus
Enterprising ex-offenders show off fashion line
April saw the launch of UK’s first clothing range created, designed and hand produced by young ex-offenders and sold through a pop-up stall in Westfield Stratford City shopping centre.
The new initiative, which mixed fashion and employment workshops, is part of a prison rehabilitation programme created by social enterprise Inside Out and business social media platform LinkedIn.
The group of young prison leavers aged between 18 and 27 years old were selling their new 13-piece clothing range in the store, which included hoodies, hats, T-shirts, facemasks and bags.
The ‘Blank Canvas’ pop-up was designed to give disadvantaged young people skills in business, fashion and retail, through a mix of classes led by LinkedIn, and by selling a clothing range designed by ex-offenders – the sales of which will support other similar projects.
The group, who have all struggled to find employment, received training and mentoring in areas including screen printing and design, as well as sales and marketing to help them further their wider career goals.
The project was originally created in response to new data that highlighted the challenges that people with criminal convictions face in finding work, showing only 44% would do so a year after their release.
