"paix entre nous"

Cream with black embroidery. 100% Cashmere. Hand-stitched in NYC.

$100 from each sweater purchased supports Pen America. 

In October of 1921, a woman named Catharine Amy Dawson Scott founded, with the mindful support of the (eventual) Nobel Prize winner John Galsworthy, the first worldwide association of writers known simply as P.E.N. In her mind's eye it was an organization of friendship, of comradeship, of acceptance and of inclusion, but very quickly it became something much more. It became one of the first groups, outside of governmental organizations, to forcefully advocate for human rights. In 1949, P.E.N. was recognized as "representative of the writers of the world" and received the honour of "consultative status" to the United Nations. Dawson Scott, speaking at the Second International Congress in New York City in 1924, declared that while she conceived of the name P.E.N. with the intention it represented - Poets and Playwrights, Editors and Essayists, and Novelists. She felt that the alternative rendering of P.E.N., relayed to her by the French writer, poet and playwright, Paul Geraldy, to mean "Paix Entre Nous" was "infinitely better." As it translates rather directly to mean "Peace Between Us" or alternatively "Peace Amongst Us," it does seem, as Dawson Scott recognized, to represent the ideals PEN America of what began almost 100 years ago and continues to be searingly relevant today.

All Lingua Franca pieces are hand embroidered once your order is placed. Please allow 2-to-3 weeks for embroidery, plus shipping time (1-5 days).

Interested in customizing your sweater? Email us!

Because each Lingua Franca piece is truly one of a kind, all sales are final and we are unable to accept returns/exchanges. We are more than happy to cancel an order within 24 hours of placing. 

All items are hand-made to order by our NYC-based embroiderers, resulting in unique variations in the look, size, and placement of the embroidery. Lingua Franca embroiderers use their best discretion when stitching to ensure each product meets our high standards and unique, well-known style.

In the event that you receive a damaged item, please let us know within 15 days of receiving your order and we'll be happy to exchange it. For questions, please email us at info@linguafranca.nyc.