The Class of 2024
The Inside Out Project’s 2024 participants all came to us in February through the Croydon CFO Activity Hub. CFO stands for Creating Future Opportunities, and the Activity Hub is a safe place for people on licence, serving a community sentence, or released from prison, to find support in developing different skills. The Hub Manager recommended these particular five individuals as not just interested in fashion and design - as many people are - but motivated to partake fully in a programme which offers them a chance to articulate their experiences, and a route to success via their creative output.
Chanel Pinnock
A real asset to the Inside Out Clothing Project with her calm manner, reasoned assessments, and love of learning. She is a multitalented young woman who, among other things, creates visual art, writes fiction, and tufts rugs. Chanel has worked hard to overcome what she describes as a ‘chaotic home life’, and is very self-aware. Her experiences with the justice system led her to the desire to make a real change in her life, and to Inside Out, where she has been able to fine-tune her creative talents and focus on moving forward.
Michael Bryan
A passionate young man who is always keen to learn from new experiences. Designing and producing clothing are relatively new skills for him, but he has been enthusiastic in learning about their various elements, and he is an integral part of our team. As a new father, he is very focused on ensuring that he creates a positive environment for his family: he hopes that the time he spends with Inside Out will equip him with not just the means to provide financially for his family, but with the psychological wherewithal to support them emotionally. Michael is, in his own words, “motivated to aim for better”.
Martallus Alfred
Martallus has been designing clothing for some time: in prison he worked in the print room, eventually becoming the main textile printer, where he created and printed his own designs. After leaving prison he started his own fashion brand, but joining the Inside Out Clothing Project has given him an unprecedented opportunity to make a real impact with his designs. He views the time he spent in prison as a chance to reload his life and this is symbolised in his design work. Martallus’ experience and outlook make him an invaluable member of the team.
Taschan Peart
A skilled artist, but his diligence, dedication to any task at hand, and natural congeniality make him an indispensable member of our 2024 team. His talent is clear in everything that he creates: Taschan is formally trained in 3D design, and never hesitates to give input when asked, to lend a hand, or - most importantly - to offer words of encouragement to the other designers. Taschan’s time in prison was, among other things, a chance to reflect on his life; his time at Inside Out has been a chance for him to use his talents and skills to start making the changes that he needs.
Martell Randall
Martell as a long-held interest in fashion, and being a part of the Inside Out team has allowed him to parlay this into a skill he can use to better his and his family’s lives. He is a father, and knows that he is his children’s role model as well as their protector and provider, and is determined that the footsteps they follow will take them down a better path than his previous one. Martell is also generous to a fault, and can be relied upon to give of his time and effort to get any job done, or to help any of us at Inside Out; his participation in the project has been as rewarding for us as it has been for him.
Forging Strong Bonds
Although the project’s participants were all recommended by the same CFO Hub, they didn’t previously know each other. During their six weeks of training, however, they forged strong bonds. These five strangers became a group of five, and with every session together, that group became more of a team. They have been working together and individually on various designs and events since March, and our 2024 project participants continue to do themselves - and Inside Out - proud, with their display of talent, their fortitude, and their resolve to determine the courses of their own lives.
