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The newest employees in the fashion industry could be ex-prison inmates!

Anna Lynett Moss, the woman behind the high-functioning bag line Chiyome, has brought her knowledge of the fashion industry to the women’s jail on Rikers Island.

Some of you may find this to be slightly odd, but a lot of the reformation in prison comes from learning a trade, so why not learn about the fashion industry? 

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The course has become one of the most popular in the women’s prison. Anna goes into depth about the focus and popularity of the class: 

“Fashion Theory is the most successful course I’ve taught through the Prison Education Initiative in the women’s jail on Rikers Island. Attendance for classes typically ranges from 6 to 20 students, but for the fashion unit, we got 30 every time. One course highlight was examining the idea of cultural identity and ownership through the Burberry Prorsum Resort 2012 collection, which used a print inspired by a Ghanaian wax-print technique. I think it’s something my students dwell on: where they come from, what traditions they maintain—it’s something I think about in my own work all the time.” 

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In addition to her class at Rikers, Anna has also led a garment-reconstruction workshop at a home for teenage girls and is working with the UN to develop a socially-conscious accessories line.

You can get a little more info on Anna Lynett Moss by heading over to Of A Kind