Lotto Counter No. 10: the taste of freedom lies hidden in the folds of a dress

But that’s not all. Because once the garments are finished, they don’t remain within the prison walls. They’re ready to meet new people, new perspectives and new lives. And for the past few weeks, things have been even better than before. On 4 September, Banco Lotto No. 10 officially opened ‘Spaces of dignity’, its new shop at Rio Terà Sant’Aponal 1160. The decision to move from the original premises (the shop is not, in fact, a recent development: it has existed since the project began and was housed in the premises of a former lottery office, hence the tailor’s distinctive name) was primarily driven – as Toniolo emphasises – ‘by the evolution in tourist flows to the city over the last twenty years’ and by the need to reposition itself in a busy area that wasn’t off the radar. This was to facilitate the connection between the workshop, the public, the city, the world of fashion and the retail sector.

“This opening is, for us, an incredible turning point,” continues Uliana. “Banco Lotto finally feels that the space that houses it truly reflects its identity: before, we often ended up in anonymous settings, getting lost amongst countless other shops. Here, however, thanks to the redesign by Alfredo Brillembourg, founder of the Urban Think Thank studio, and Alessandro Famiglietti, we’ve managed to give a voice to this space, creating a dialogue between it and our creations. It’s not just a shop; it’s the creation of a symbol that represents us through and through.” And whilst evocative phrases such as ‘to blossom anew is an act of courage’ – which say so much about the spirit of the boutique – stand out in the shop windows, inside the concept of the grid, usually associated with separation and isolation, is transformed into an open, welcoming and vibrant structure.

The sale of garments, of course, also takes place online: whilst word of mouth and the most loyal customers have played a major role so far, the tailor’s has now also set up an e-commerce platform. This is to overcome geographical boundaries and reach an ever-wider audience. The aim, through a well-thought-out marketing strategy and social media campaign, is to transform it – as Toniolo notes – ‘into a production segment capable of standing on its own two feet’.

Of all the events organised by Banco Lotto No. 10, the fashion shows certainly carry the greatest emotional weight. Over time, they have almost become a tradition, yet the format is never quite the same from one year to the next. The most recent one, ‘The Ghost Suitcase”, organised on 10 September as part of the programme of side events at the Venice Film Festival, was perhaps the most evocative of them all. In fact, it was not professional models who walked the catwalk set up in the prison cloister, but the female prisoners who had made the outfits.

“It was much more than a fashion show,” comments Maurizia Campobasso, director of the prison. “For once, those women were not viewed through the lens of the crime they had committed or their circumstances, but through what they had been able to create. They became the protagonists of their own work, modelling the tailor-made garments in front of representatives of institutions, the judiciary, the worlds of culture, fashion and business. It wasn’t just clothes that were on display on that catwalk: it was possibilities.”

A cathartic and collective moment, then, which demonstrated in black and white the importance of being able to interpret situations from multiple perspectives. “I believe the true value of the event lay precisely in this change of perspective. Prison is normally a place that robs people of visibility. That day, however, we restored visibility to the commitment, the hard work, the professionalism and the chance to start afresh’, notes Campobasso. ‘It wasn’t about hiding the sentence or the past, but about showing that a person should not be defined by the worst moment of their life.’

The plan now is to make it a regular event. “I’d really like La valigia fantasma to become an annual event, possibly to coincide with the Venice International Film Festival. ‘It would be a way of consolidating the extraordinary relationship that the Giudecca is building with the city and some of its cultural institutions,’ concludes the director. ‘And to remind us that prison is not something alien to society: it is part of it.’

But all this cannot be content with being merely a special occasion. For Campobasso, in fact, the priority is clear: ‘It must lead to new training opportunities, new contracts, new relationships with businesses and, above all, new jobs. The catwalk only makes sense if it leads somewhere. And in this regard, we are taking the first steps towards creating an Centre of Excellence for fashion, design and dressmaking’.

What sets the collections – and, more broadly, the work of Banco Lotto N°10 – apart, alongside its approach, is the idea of fashion that transcends stereotypes. And that transforms both those who create it and those who wear it. ‘The real added value of Banco Lotto is innocence: fashion that is born completely free from rigid production patterns, unbound from an industry that is all too often based on the exploitation and alienation of people. Here, we still have the privilege of the pure joy of creating, of making things with care,’ Uliana points out.

‘I’m not saying it’s easy: we’re up against an increasingly saturated market every day. However, despite the hard work, Banco Lotto continues to convey a powerful message: the vision of a new world.’ The symbol of a craft tradition that endures and ‘rebels against speed and standardisation’.

‘Future’ is the leitmotif that links the atelier’s project to life after prison. And it fits perfectly within policies for reintegration into society. Like a bridge – small but sturdy – between inside and outside. “Banco Lotto No. 10 fits perfectly with the direction we are trying to take with the prison programme at Giudecca: ensuring that the time spent serving a sentence is not a time of limbo, but a time in which to actively build the conditions for life afterwards,” reiterates Director Campobasso. “Work is, in this sense, one of the most powerful tools. Not only because it enables them to acquire professional skills, but because it restores discipline, the ability to work together, and an awareness of their own worth. Tailoring enables women to measure themselves against deadlines, quality standards, orders and targets: against the rules of real work.”

And it is amidst the scissors, needles, thread and mannequins that ‘prison, social enterprise, training and the outside world come together, giving rise to a virtuous ecosystem’. Turning the hope of finding one’s place in the world into a real opportunity.

In fact, there are quite a few stories of female prisoners who, upon their release from prison, have continued to follow the path they set out on in the workshop. “The experience does not necessarily end with the completion of the sentence: some women, once they have regained their freedom, have continued to put the skills they acquired to good use, and several are still involved in tailoring-related activities,” reflects Campobasso. “A woman faces her return to freedom better equipped than usual if she has learnt to stick to a timetable, to work within an organised setting and to deal with clients.”

And if the real test is the outside world, it is essential to start in prison to build up – in a more structured way – the toolkit. ‘We are trying to take another step forward: not just creating work opportunities within the prison, but building supply chains that can survive beyond prison, creating a stable link between in-prison training and the labour market.’

The issue naturally also touches on the key question of public safety. ‘The rehabilitative function of punishment is not merely an idealistic assertion: it means ensuring that those who are released have fewer reasons and are less likely to return prison. Investing seriously in prison work means not only offering a second chance to the individual but also returning to society people who are more independent and capable of living within the law”, concludes the director. ‘The point, ultimately, is simple: a second chance only becomes a reality when there is a concrete first opportunity to start afresh.’