Mar 25, 2008

You could blame Paris Hilton, her former BFF Nicole Richie, La Lohan, or any number of Hollywood celebs for inspiring one of the newest fashions: prison chic. However, despite all the ‘role models’ and the hype, our conviction is that this trend is in poor taste.

The Haeftling company – German for prisoner – opened their Berlin doors last month. Stocking their shelves with dark, dreary garb that lacks color, there’s nary an orange jumpsuit in sight. Considerably more detailed and varied, the men’s line is the focus. The t-shirts are the standouts, with limited run artwork created from imprisoned artists. The scant women’s offerings appear more unisex than feminine. And more female-flattering looks won't be available until next season.

Although the line does some good things, like involving prisoners and donating a percentage of each sale to prison advocacy organizations, we can’t shake the feeling that dull, drab, and uninspired clothing looks the same both in front of and behind bars.

Judge for yourself at www.haeftling.de.

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