Marsha

Shame Studios is proud to present our PRIDE collection, raising funds for The Human Dignity Trust, an incredible charity that uses the courts to overturn laws that criminalise people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Inspired by, and in celebration of, queer joy and history, each rug takes its namesake from a renowned queer figure and icon.

This piece takes its name from Black American drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson. A herald of individuality and expression, Marsha was a pioneer of the gay rights movement in the late 1960s and dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Her accolades and prominence within the tumultuous decades that followed, including demonstrating during the Stonewall riots in 1969, campaigning with the Gay Liberation Front, and co-founding the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries with fellow transgender rights activist Sylvia Rivera, have left a legacy that has touched and changed the lives of queer people for generations to follow.

In such, we dedicate. Marsha is colourful, camp, celebratory in its presence. As the final piece of a big, beautiful puzzle in any room, this flat-weave rug is made from recycled cotton and handwoven in Varanasi, the spiritual heartland of India. The undulating scalloped edges are inspired by the famed Ettore Sottsass mirror and require a high degree of craftsmanship.

Marsha is unique, full of personality and style. Much like the P in her name, standing for ‘pay it no mind,’ she is proudly here to do her own thing.

Words by Beau Gervais