The project launched by the London College of Fashion, San Patrignano and the training section in fashion tailoring of the London prison Downview continues beyond the borders and in the name of friendship.
On the occasion of Christmas, the detainees of the Making for Change unit and the girls from the San Patrignano textile workshop exchanged small hand-crafted gifts accompanied by letters. The correspondence falls within the sphere of social responsibility of the “Conscious contemporary tailoring” project, intended to support the development of the interactions between people involved in fashion production, to facilitate dialogue between students and companies aimed at social rehabilitation of the individual.
The women of Making for Change have designed and produced accessories, some original models of Victorian inspiration, with high quality fabrics donated by the Zegna Foundation, creations including collars, cuffs, bibs, bracelets and hair bands. These were sent to San Patrignano with accompanying tickets.
In response, the girls from San Patrignano sent small silk fabric cases, each with a handwritten letter inside. The envelopes were made with materials donated by various Italian textile factories to the Community.
One of the participants in the Making for Change project expressed how much she liked to create an accessory like this: “It is a great pleasure to work together putting our ideas and skills into practice”. Others have stressed how much their artifacts were made with love and how much they hope the girls from San Patrignano can be happy to receive them and wear them. Another participant wrote: “It has been stimulating to discover that bijoux can come from the fabric. Something I had never thought about. This opportunity gave me hope to believe that I will be able to realize myself once I get out of here “. Even if they have never met, a feeling of strong female solidarity emerges from the letters. One of the weaver of San Patrignano wrote in a letter: “You girls did an incredible job, I really liked it! Thanks for all the time and effort you have put to make these things so beautiful. I wish you the best for your life and I hope everything goes well. Be yourself, be strong and believe in yourself and in your value. You already have proved of this with your work “.