Josh's Pansy Sweater 2024

The pansy has long been an icon for sexual difference, specifically for gay men. First cultivated in the 19th century, the pansy became the symbol for humanist and free throught movements, due to the etymological roots of the word: pensée, the French word for thought. Throughout the 20th century, the word evolved into a derogatory slur for gay men: suggestive of someone who is non-masculine and delicate. At the same time, the flower has become a touchstone for the gay community as a transgressive symbol of visibility and reclamation. Evidence of this history can be found as early as the 1920s in the Pansy Craze, a brief golden age for drag clubs and gay friendly bars. The Pansy Sweater Vest has been designed as a “coffin sweater,” a term used to describe a construction strategy in “fast fashion” where a garment is designed only on one side for efficiency. There’s something compelling about using a cost-cutting measure to ventriloquize larger narratives around loss and identity construction.

This is a very small edition of 4 sweaters. Each sweater has been hand knit on a single bed Brother KH-940 Knitting Machine, using Jaggerspun Maine Line wool yarns. Once the edition is gone, there will be no additional sweaters in this pattern.

All sweaters have been designed to fit the artists body. The measurements are as follows:

41" chest
17" shoulder to shoulder
8" neck
26.75" total length
13.5" hem to armhole
2.5" bottom hem
1" neck and arm bands

These measurements are roughly equivalent to a large Medium to small Large.

All sweaters arrive folded in a hand dyed draw string bag and a hand numbered, signed, limited edition Riso printed certificate of authenticity.

Sweaters are shipped Priority USPS. Please allow 3-5 days for processing and 2-3 days for shipping (6-10 days international).

Due to the nature of this edition, all sales are final.