Fighting addiction – one hat at a time

Sunday 13 August 2017

A local fashionista who fought addiction to set up a successful online retail brand is aiming to give something back – one hat at a time.

Lauren Burnett, the brains behind Luella Rockerfella, is collaborating with the women’s wing of Jersey’s La Moye Prison to produce branded caps.

Creating the black Luella-themed baseball caps will not only give the female inmates the chance to develop a new skill, but the money raised from the hand-finished hats’ sale will be donated to rehabilitation centre Silkworth Lodge, who helps islanders affected by drug and alcohol addiction.

Lauren, who describes herself as “someone who has fought and continually fights addiction” said that she hoped the initiative would, “…make a difference to the lives of people who have similar struggles.”

Pictured: Lauren models one of her previous prison collaborations, the Luella beanie hat.

“I found that creating Luella Rockerfella has allowed me to express myself creatively and given me the self-belief and strength to overcome such a difficult way of life which will encourage others to believe change is possible.”

“The work we are doing with the prison and the money raised for the charity are just two avenues where I hope to have a positive impact on people wanting to change their path and help them find support in fighting addiction through this amazing charity,” she added.

Already, the style and story of the suede caps have captured the eyes and hearts of fashion lovers as far as the USA, Hong Kong and Japan.

This is the Jersey Style Awards nominee’s second foray into close-knit collaborations with the prison. Last year, Luella Rockerfella beanie hats raised over £1,200 for Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR).

Pictured: Lauren selling knitted beanie hats with the JAAR team. (Danny Richardson)

Lauren, whose brand has kitted out the likes of Lady Leshurr and Tallia Storm, hopes this latest launch will get another positive response.

“We would love people to get involved and support us in this initiative and are encouraging customers to share photos of themselves in their hats using the hashtag #actionagainstaddiction to help raise awareness.”

The baseball caps can be found online for £15.00 here.