THE PRISONEss
PROJECT PRISON
THE PROJECT PRISON was born from an assignment to design a uniform for any job or industry, but I wanted to push it further. I was drawn to the raw, rebellious energy of a prison uniform and imagined what it would look like if it were RUNWAY. I started exploring how clothing could restrain, control, and confine, but still feel iconic and unapologetically cool. By fusing streetwear attitude with prisonwear structure, I created pieces that feel tough, edgy, and effortlessly stylish, turning the uniform into a statement of power and style.
HER, THE PRISONER
I began researching old American prison wear, drawn to its stark visual language, striped uniforms, identification numbers, and the rigid systems used to control identity. I wanted to explore how these elements could be reworked into something fashionable while still carrying a clear message about confinement and power. By experimenting with stripes as distorted lines, shifting proportions, and exaggerated placements, I could disrupt their original meaning. The concept of restraint became something to play with rather than obey: lines could wrap, restrict, or release the body, questioning where control begins and how fashion can turn symbols of oppression into expressions of autonomy.
I became fascinated with the idea of exploring restraint within clothing—how garments could embody tension, control, and restriction while still remaining alluring. This curiosity led me to question: how could the harsh, utilitarian nature of prison handcuffs be reimagined into a piece for the IT girl prisoner? I wanted to merge the symbolism of confinement with fashion, creating a garment that felt both edgy and provocative, turning an object of restraint into an empowered statement of style.
THE POCKET RESTRAINT
THE RESTRAINT FLARE
THE STORY BEHIND
THE RESTRAINT FLARE
The Restraint Flare was designed to fuse high-end fashion with the rigid codes of prison uniform, reimagined through a couture lens. The piece investigates how prisoners are physically and psychologically restrained from freedom, translating this loss of autonomy into an iconic silhouette. Drawing inspiration from handcuffs, I explored how a garment itself could become a mechanism of restraint. Enlarged pockets were engineered so the wearer’s hands could slot inside and be locked into place with a fabric restraint built into the pocket, turning the trouser into an embodied symbol of confinement.
An integrated underwear element is built into the flare, marked with a prison number to heighten the institutional uniformity, while simultaneously subverting it by making the piece undeniably sensual. This tension between control and seduction is central to the design—where restriction becomes erotic, and power is reclaimed through form.
The flared leg introduces a ruffled construction, disrupting the traditional clean line of a flare. This distortion represents the chaos and inner unrest of the individual, contrasted against the flare’s historic association with femininity and glamour. By ruffling a silhouette that is typically tight and controlled through the leg, the garment takes on a wild, untamed energy—reflecting the raw identity and suppressed individuality often associated with prisoners.
Merging couture craftsmanship with the harsh symbolism of incarceration, The Restraint Flare becomes an iconic statement piece: a uniform rewritten for the ‘Prisoness’, where confinement, femininity, and rebellion collide.
THE RESTRAINT FLARE
SKETCH
