The Italian high street fashion house Marni, premiered chair’s which were woven from PVC threads and produced by Columbian former ex-prisoners as part of a rehabilitation programme.
The collection of 100 pieces were shown at a “pop-up Marni Boutique” at Via della Spiga 50, with proceeds going to the institute ICAM of Milan – a project to allow children of imprisoned mothers to spend their youth in a family environment.
All products are handmade by Colombian craftsmen using salvaged materials: concrete reinforcing bars for the structure and coloured plastic pipes for the seats and backrests. The colours and colour combinations were chosen by the Marni team, thus adding a personal touch to the project and completing the creative process that was initiated overseas.
The collection ( 20 colours, 7 models and 21 variations for 80 chairs, 10 deckchairs and 10 tables) were sold during the Salone del Mobile, with all profits from the project reverting to the charity
The Marni furniture collection, which is inspired by the common seat–a simple piece of furniture that is popular within Colombian families, is also affiliated with the “L’Arte del Ritratto” project, a photo exhibition made in collaboration with Francesco Jodice, a photographer and filmmaker as well as the founder of the Multiplicity Group. Jodice’s work revolves around his interest of analyzing and cataloging new relationships that are formed between urban design and social behavior.
The chairs are part of the art project “L’arte del Ritratto” by photographer and filmmaker Francesco Iodice.
The photos’ subjects are Marni employees from different departments sitting on the chairs in an arrangement that represents the brand’s family orientated work ethic and a tribute to their long time together.
Individual furniture pieces retailed for between $260-590.approx.
The venture was created to help the prisoners get re-acquainted back to social and working life—a move made similar by Filipino designer Puey Quinones, which the world will soon see in his upcoming documentary, “The World’s Most Fashionable Prison.”
