Taking a cue from the success earlier the Prison department is all set to launch its clothing line targeting the fashionable society. The line of fashion wear under the brand ‘Free Fashionista’ will hit the market next month under the tagline ‘Threads of freedom’. The initiative is the brainchild of a senior police officer.

The officer said the initiative was a part of the skill development and welfare programme of the prisons and correctional services of the state, which could also open up new avenues of vocation for prison inmates. Currently, as many as 25 inmates at Poojappura Central prison, who had inclination, skill and expertise in tailoring were identified and trained under expert fashion designers. A separate unit was added to the existing textile unit in the prison in this regard. The initiative has the cooperation of Vedhika, a leading fashion boutique in the district. The inmates were trained under experts for 35 days and they have already come out with several finished products. They have 11 automated sewing machines.

Founder and chief designer of Vedhika, Maithri Srikant Anand said they lent their support to the initiative as part of corporate social responsibility. “This is our way of giving back to the society. I would like to call it our corporate social karma,” Maithri said. Though, Vedhika has its own line of fashion apparel, they have provided exclusive designs for Free Fashionista. The apparels are all Indian designs with international sensibility, Maithri said.

The fabrics used are khadi, cotton, Balaramapuram handloom, linen and synthetic fabrics.