Beirut designer brings prisoners' handbags to Paris catwalks

By Olivia Sterns for CNN

February 4, 2010 2:17 p.m. EST

London, England (CNN) -- In the prisons of Lebanon, women are turning their attention to fashion and stitching their way to a brighter future.

They're part of a program run by Sarah's Bags, a Beirut-based label that employs convicts and the recently-released to sew and embroider handbags, by hand. Read more

Lebanese fashion label Sarah's Bags has had huge success employing female prisoners to sew and embroider accessories.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Former prisoners stitch their way to a brighter future in Lebanon
• Sarah's Bags gives inmates income and a second chance
• Sarah Beydoun is building her brand abroad, branching out in European markets`