Varsity Jacket: WHY ARE YOU HERE

This jacket represents the first varsity jacket ever created by Shantell Martin, a project that took more than eighteen months to develop, refine, and bring to life. Throughout the process, every detail was questioned, tested, revised, and reconsidered. What began as an exploration of what a Shantell Martin varsity jacket could be ultimately became an object that reflects the same values found throughout her artwork: identity, curiosity, intention, and the journey of becoming.

Produced in a highly limited edition of just eleven pieces and manufactured by Golden Bear Sportswear in California, a company renowned for making some of America's finest varsity jackets since 1922, the jacket combines traditional craftsmanship with Shantell's distinctive visual language. The black melton wool body, custom chenille patches, cord-stitch embroidery, satin lining, woven interior label, and individually considered graphic elements were all selected and developed to create a piece that feels both timeless and deeply personal.

Many of the details carry personal significance. The number "SE28" appears near the hem, a reference to the postcode of Thamesmead in Southeast London, where Shantell grew up. Varsity jackets have long used numbers as markers of identity and achievement; here, that tradition becomes something more intimate. SE28 is a tribute to place, memory, and the younger version of herself whose experiences continue to inform her work today.

Across the jacket are recurring themes and symbols drawn from Shantell's artistic practice: abstract faces, handwritten messages, playful iconography, and the phrase "WHY ARE YOU HERE", a question that sits at the heart of much of her work. Inside, hidden from view, a woven label offers a quiet reminder to the wearer:

"HERE YOU ARE.
YOU ARE NOT EARLY.
YOU ARE NOT LATE.
YOU ARE EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE."

Like much of Shantell's work, the jacket is intended to be both object and conversation. It is something to wear, but also something to reflect with. A piece that acknowledges where we come from, celebrates where we are, and encourages us to move forward with intention.

Part garment, part artwork, part personal archive, this inaugural edition marks the beginning of a new chapter in the Shantell Martin universe.