Have you ever noticed the stitched outline on the back of your Universal Works garment? We asked UW co-founder and designer David Keyte where it came from.
"In our first collection, I took inspiration from and also “nicked” the shape from an old 1950’s sweatshirt that I had found. For a long time it was my favourite vintage piece. The shape was great and I loved the fact that although the care label had worn away it had left a stitch line like a 'ghost' of a label.
It reminded me of those old advertising signs you still find sometimes on the side of tumbled down buildings clinging on to life, selling the local grocer or maybe a cigarette brand from some bygone age. They are called Ghost Signs and thus began the name for our very own Ghost Patch!
These days it's a detail on pretty much every one of our garments, sometimes you have to look closely to find its 'ghostly' appearance!"
'Ghost signs are the most interesting of all wall signs. Faded to the point of illegibility, they linger on old buildings, echoing the robust commerce of times past.'
Stage, WM., 1989*
* Stage, WM., 1989. Ghost Signs: Brick Wall Advertising in America. Cincinnati, OH: ST Publications.
