Mad Cropped Cardi

Cropped cotton knit cardigan remade with hand-applied paint, stenciled patch, and vintage buttons.

Category: Remade

File under: #PoliticalSatire, #Cartoons, #PostConsumerTextiles, #PrintCulture, #DIY

Description

Cotton knit cardigan sourced secondhand and cropped to a shortened length, leaving a frayed hem. The surface has been over-painted with post-consumer red acrylic applied using a repurposed spray-paint can, producing uneven saturation and visible accumulation across the knit.

The garment was hand washed on a washboard using homemade soap prior to assembly. A canvas patch featuring Alfred E. Neuman has been stenciled and sewn to the body of the cardigan using scrap material. Three vintage buttons are attached at the front closure: two political buttons and one reading “Don’t Go Away Mad, Just Go Away.”

The interventions draw directly from the visual and tonal language of Mad Magazine, where caricature, sarcasm, and repetition were used to normalize skepticism and reward irreverence. Alfred E. Neuman appears here not as nostalgia, but as a recurring figure associated with sanctioned disrespect, anti-authoritarian humor, and cultivated smart-aleckness.

A small Chains patch is affixed at the back neck. The garment is presented without gendered fit designation.