Anti-Prostitution Organisation’s ‘Victim Cardigan’ Holds Men Accountable for Their Actions

In Sweden, one out of ten men have paid for sex. A scary number that shows no sign of decline. Talita, a Swedish non-profit that helps women out of prostitution and into a new life, took the most common excuses and turned them into a fashion collection, in order to put men’s behaviour in the spotlight.   

In Swedish, 'playing the victim card' can be directly translated into 'wearing the victim cardigan', an idiom that was literally put to use in this campaign, in order to grab the public’s attention.  

Limited edition 'Victim Cardigans' were launched by Talita in collaboration with fashion brand HOPE Sthlm. The cardigans were based on the most common excuses used by men arrested for solicitation.  

The embroidery on the cardigans also reveals the exposure to violence, drugs, and poverty among the women exploited in the sex industry.    

Åkestam Holst NoA, Talita's advertising agency since 2019, created the campaign to hold sex buyers accountable for their actions and shift the debate towards men’s attitudes and behaviour in general.  

"In the campaigns' expression, we have taken inspiration from the fashion world. Still, unlike usual autumn and winter fashion, this trend has a darker backstory," says Agnes Nisbel Fjäll, copywriter at Åkestam Holst NoA.  

As part of the integrated effort, one of the cardigans was auctioned off for charity to support Talita's outreach and rehabilitating work.