“Fashion as an instrument of social transformation, providing women deprived of freedom the opportunity to reframe their own journeys and rescue their self-esteem.”
The fashion and social business brand Libertees, developed in the Prison System of Minas Gerais, presented its new collection at Brasil Eco Fashion Week in Milan, in September 2021.
Libertees provides training workshops and paid work for imprisoned women in the Prison System of Minas Gerais.
Libertees’s Impact
- 100% female and prison labor force
- 8 women currently employed in the clothing industry within the prison unit
- 1 active employee in the administrative area of Libertees who has already served her time in prison
- 4 women were sent to work in factories after being released from freedom
Part of the revenue from selling printed clothes will be reinvested in purchasing material and promoting art workshops in the penitentiary.
The exclusive prints portray drawings and paintings made by the women from Estevão Pinto Female Penitentiary Complex.
“Libertees brings the concept of fashion with social impact, revealing the power of women and the potential to transform lives at the same time.”
The material that are used in the process express the brand’s environmental responsibility: ecological fabrics, organic cotton, pet bottles and biodegradable fabrics.
“We are betting on a labor force that is 100% composed of people from prison and female workers, as a solution for a fairer and more collaborative future. Having a purpose and social responsibility is part of our essence.”
According to the platform “O Tempo” (Time), the partnership between Libertees and the Prison System of Minas Gerais has already yielded more than 134 thousand hours of professional training, nearly BRL 1 million in remuneration e more than 5,500 days of sentence remission.
“This story is being built collectively. Libertees is freedom, movement and, mainly, hope.”
Libertees for Brasil Eco Fashion Week
The brand presented its new collection “O Café e suas Flores” (literally, Coffee and its Flowers) at Brasil Eco Fashion Week on September 25th, at Milano Fashion Week.
The collection revives the affectionate memory of Minas Gerais, and the coffee flower takes on the leading role of representing the feminine.
“In this collection, we evoke ancestral knowledge, the strength in collective work and, mainly, freedom through work.”
In partnership with the creative directors of Libertees, Daniela Queiroga and Marcella Mafra, Gissa Bicalho Brand, a member of Fashion Label Brasil, signed the fashion show accessories, the stylist Ana Sudano developed the timeless models and the shoemaker Virginia Barros created and exclusive line of upcycling shoes for the event.
“We have built a network of partners who are engaged with social and environmental sustainability, from suppliers and employees to customers. Our goal is to build a fairer future for everyone.”
You can watch the Brasil Eco Fashion Week fashion show at: youtu.be/LZ9B7XGz0bI
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