After Most-Recent Stint Behind Bars, Ex-Con Creates Jail-Inspired Clothing Line
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — After his most recent stint behind bars, a local man created a clothing line with a common theme: jail.
Kevin Fulgenzi's line known as XCon Apparel sells at his Long Beach store and now online as well as the demand has grown.
The 44-year-old says he opened the business on Long Beach Boulevard within a week of his release after serving 16 months in Los Angeles County jail for petty theft.
"I thought about the artistic talents that were in jail and my own talents, and I put them together and came up with the brand XCon," said Fulgenzi, who explained that he's been in and out of jail or prison most of his life.
"First time was at 16," he said. "In and out. In and out. It just wears and tears on you."
But Fulgenzi said he finally wanted to learn from his mistakes and opened the store with funding from another inmate.
"You just have to put one foot in front of the other and just stop looking behind you," he said. "I want everybody to know that you can change."
Fulgenzi said thieves recently tried to steal items from the store, but instead of calling the police, he persuaded them to put everything back. He said he asked them why they would steal from an ex-con who's now trying to help others.
"That's like the one forbidden thing in the jail and prison system: We don't steal," he said.
Fulgenzi said the proceeds from weekly events he hosts at the store go to several organizations, including the Long Beach Police Foundation and local shelters.
