Danish fashion brand Carcel is known for two things. First, their sophisticated and minimalist women’s clothing, and second, for using overseas prison labour.
That’s right, Carcel employs incarcerated women. The brand provides these women with jobs and fair wages in a place where they would otherwise lack such an opportunity.
“We create a safe environment for women in prison to gain new skills, earn fair wages, and provide for their families. Our employees share their knowledge and craftsmanship with us,” reads Carcel’s website.
This opportunity is provided entirely on a volunteer basis, meaning no prisoners are ever coerced into working for Carcel.
What drove them to create this initiative? The fact that female incarceration rates on a global level have gone up exponentially. Marginalized communities and single mothers in particular are more at risk of incarceration. Once in prison, there are often no economic opportunities available to prisoners. Prior to setting up their own operation, Carcel admits they had never seen an example of ethical employment within prisons. They wanted to change that.
The brand acknowledges that giving jobs to incarcerated women around the world does not help to address the causes of why these women are in prison to begin with. However, it does offer financial independence and support to these women and their families, both while they are in prison and after they are released.
Further, Carcel values transparency above all else, especially when working with incarcerated women. That is why their website goes into detail about the wages they pay in the different countries they operate, Peru and Thailand.
In coming up with a fair wage to pay these workers, Carcel decided to abide by the International Labor Organisation’s (ILO) recommendation. The ILO’s recommendation is that all workers receive enough money to cover the cost of living in the country they live in.
Thus, Carcel did the research in order to determine what a living wage is in the countries they operate. Looking at local market conditions and regulations, they compared similar jobs in the market.
The wages Carcel eventually settled on are enough to support not only the single worker, but their family as well. The Danish fashion brand states they are ready to adjust their employees’ wages should the labor market or recommendations of the ILO or United Nations change.
