High walls, barbed wire, bars on the windows, locked security doors and lots of video cameras. This is Correctional Facility III in Frankfurt-Preungesheim. Completed in 1889, it initially served as a men's prison with a women's section. From 1945 to 1953 it was used as a military prison, then rebuilt and since 1955 women have been housed in the central penal and pre-trial detention facility.
There are currently 255 women serving sentences in Hesse's only women's prison. Among them are fraudsters, thieves, murderers, in other words the complete range of female offenders. They are supervised by prison staff, the exact number we are not allowed to name. Marina Opalka, is a senior secretary in the prison service and is responsible for looking after and caring for the prisoners. Of course, she is also responsible for security and makes sure that the prisoners can move around the prison within their means. She has been doing this unusual job for more than six years, including two years of training as a correctional officer.
For the Clothes Make the People campaign, the Siberia native, who chatted with photographer Nikita Kulikov on set in Russian, traded in her service uniform for a women's costume of blue glencheck pattern by Italian fine weaver Reda. She paired it with a blue blouse with a white collar and white double cuffs and a handmade bowtie. "Simply stunning she looks in it, on set we all fell a little in love!" enthuses made-to-measure tailor Stephan Görner, who since this year also has fashion for women in his portfolio.
The campaign pays tribute to people with extraordinary, difficult, strenuous or dangerous jobs. Recognition, appreciation and respect for these professions, without which a normal life in a big city like Frankfurt would be impossible, are the goal of Nikita Kulikov's photo works. He ensures that the sewer worker, the toilet attendant, the garbage man or the correctional officer is authentically photographed at the workplace before and later in a noble costume or in a tailor-made suit by Stephan Görner.
At the end of the year, an annual calendar with all twelve motifs is created, which is handed out to the guests of the charity gala Kleider machen Leute and, of course, to all amateur models. "It is the highlight of our annual work for the project," says Sven Müller, head of organisation for the gala on 12 November at the Hotel Kempinski. "The 300 tickets for it are already sold except for a few remaining tickets, because the guests can expect, in addition to star tenor Paul Potts, a VIP fashion show, a colorful evening program with dancing, candlelight menu and a raffle in favor of the Leberecht Foundation. Marina Opalka will come to the gala with a friend. Surely the pretty correctional officer will again be in the flash of the photographers. (Text: Sven Müller PR & live communication)
Further info can be found at: <link http: www.kleider-machen-leute.net _blank>Www.kleider-machen-leute.net
