Tracksuit designed by Jack Pierson
Tracksuits to benefit LGBT people
Print All Over Me & queer artists for the Russian LGBT Community
If there exists a singularly fitting way to describe the press surrounding the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia, it is probably best labeled as a complete and utter shit show. First there was open speculation about the inconceivable $51 billion price tag for the games (to compare: the last Winter games in Vancouver in 2010 cost a mere $7 billion).
Then there were the October and December suicide bombings in Volgograd, prompting massive questions of safety for the athletes that will be traveling en masse to the Russian resort city come February 6th. And then there’s the linchpin that helped set off the entire press storm: the repulsive federal laws passed last summer that nationally banned “homosexual propaganda,” essentially shutting down all public expression of homosexuality in Russia with threat of imprisonment and thus giving openly gay athletes and politicians reason to fear for their safety while participating in the Olympic games for reasons other than terrorism.
In response to this widespread persecution of the LGBT community in Russia, make-it-yourself clothing company Print All Over Me has commissioned a group of queer artists to design a capsule collection of athletic wear in time for the opening ceremony of the Sochi games next month. The collection of track suits are each uniquely designed by a different artist, including Jack Pierson, Jibz Cameron, David Benjamin Sherry, Ryan McNamara, Kalup Linzy, Wardell Millan, Christian Dietkus, and many more. As a symbol of support, all of the proceeds of the capsule collection are directly benefitting the Russian LGBT Network, a human rights organization providing social and legal services to the Russian LGBT community.
Design by Jibz Cameron with Allison Michael Orentstein
Design by by Wardell Milan
Design by David Benjamin Sherry
A launch party for the collection will happen at Louis B. James on February 7th from 7:00-9:00PM to coincide with the opening ceremony. What better way to say ‘fuck you’ to Russia’s anti-gay legislation than sporting it on your chest?
The pieces will be available for sale here, the day of the event.
