When you’re walking down the street in a cloud of anonymity – how will strangers know what you’re going through? Thankfully Alec Weitl is here to help, with his tumblr Sexy Sweaters providing a range of sartorial emoticons for the street...
Status updates, the like button, live tweeting – social media has ensured that families, friends, and anyone else privy to a newsfeed are kept updated on our feelings 23 hours a day. But what about that last residual sliver of time, when you’re walking down the street in a loathesome cloud of anonymity – how will strangers know your inner turmoil? Thankfully Alec Weitl is here to help, with his Tumblr Sexy Sweaters providing a range of sartorial emoticons for the street. So you’re feeling rundown – here’s Lindsey Lohan mid-DUI to get you through. Feeling rich? Sport a bank vault of gold ingots. For the retro leaning, there's always the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, while Tutankhamen’s death mask can scratch any urban archaeological itch.
"So you’re feeling rundown – here’s Lindsey Lohan mid-DUI to get you through. Feeling rich? Sport a bank vault of gold ingots."
First founded in 2011, Sexy Sweaters exploded into the cyber consciousness almost immediately, with the Tumblr receiving over 125,000 notes and Weitl himself fielding a number of desperate, and often furious, pleas that his Photoshopped designs move from the metaphorical to the literal. Now, at last, it looks like everyone's sweater dreams may be about to come true, so before he dives into the abyss of manufacturing mayhem, we caught up with Weitl to discuss how Sexy Sweaters came about, and which jumper he would wear to meet the Queen.
What inspired you to start the Sexy Sweaters website?
I first saw Photoshopped sweaters on Tumblr made by Alex Gibson. At the time I thought they were all made by different people, sort of like a meme, so I was like hey, I bet I could figure out how to do those in Photoshop. So I found these really cool prints by Alexander McQueen online, I had some rainbow print, and some snakeprint, and I edited the images a bit so they looked like a pattern, and then I put them onto sweaters with Photoshop and posted them on my Tumblr. And I did the same with a Barbie design and the Damien Hirst diamond skull. Then I thought, oh I have these cool sweater designs, why not make a Tumblr for them? I made the blog and it just instantly blew up.
When and why did you decide to actually make them rather than just mock them up?
Well, I haven't ever had my own online store so I still haven't really made them myself. I did some designs for this Polish brand, who now enjoys copying my ideas and selling them as their own. I also just did some designs for a French brand that are REALLY GOOD, I think I'm going to post them this week, it depends when the French brand puts them up for sale online. But for me, I finally decided to make the sweaters real last year when I was getting a crazy amount of messages from people – some of them were really angry – demanding that I make the sweaters. Then, I discovered getting them made isn't the easiest thing in the world because while people can do all over print t-shirts, all over print sweaters is another story. I am currently on the brink of a breakthrough with a manufacturer, so soon I will have my own online store and sell my designs there.
When do you think the sweaters will go into production/be available?
I don't want to guess because there is more of a chance I will be wrong with my prediction than be right.
What makes your sweaters sexy?
The fact that I make them.
Do you have a favourite design?
For a country stroll.
For your birthday Party.
To celebrate the arrival of Spring.
