SJ raises the bar with Tiharwear

NEW DELHI: Brand Tihar is going places. Prominent designer Sanjana Jon has tied up with the prison authorities to bring up a high-end collection of designer clothes which will be made in Tihar. The label, `TJs for SJ', will be retailed at the designer's outlet in upmarket Defence Colony.
The collection, which will be priced upwards of Rs 1,000, is made from fine cloth woven in the jail, and is tailored and embroidered by prisoners.Jon, sister of Anand Jon who is lodged in a jail in the US, says that the talent in Tihar is immense.
For the past month, the designer has been spending a lot of time in the prison, training inmates to create designer clothes. "Tihar Jail has been creating products for several years. I'm just branding them and making the products more marketable. The quality and production control is much higher now,'' Jon told Times City.
The collection is totally made in Tihar even the cloth used is woven inside the prison. Jon says she had to improve the quality of the cloth and make it finer so that it had a wider reach. The tailoring and embroidery is also being done inside jail. "I love the handpainted shawls and wraps,'' she added.
Working with the prisoners has been an enriching experience for her. She says the inmates are more focussed and therefore more productive. "I've noticed they are eager to work and be productive for society. They are more focussed too as this is the only thing in life for them. Since I am training them inside jail, I would love to hire some of the inmates after they are released from jail,'' she further added.
Director General (Delhi prisons), BK Gupta added that the entire process is aimed at reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners. "Such initiatives give prisoners a purpose and also help them earn wages,'' he said.
Jon's brother is lodged in a US prison, but Tihar, she feels, is a completely different world. "My brother is confined to a 6X4 cell and hasn't seen the sky in three years. He is chained to the wall when he comes to meet me. Prisoners here walk around freely and are given a chance to reform. I feel our system is much better than what other countries have,'' she said.
The `Made in Tihar' designer wear will be showcased at `Creative Tihar', an event planned in Jail 2 on Thursday. But even before that, the brand seems to have got some loyalists singer Shibani Kashyap being one of them. "Shibani has told me that she will wear outfits made in the jail to all her concerts from now on,'' said Jon.