Palimpsest (n.): a manuscript page reused for new writing, yet still carrying the faint marks of the older text beneath. Layers of meaning, one surface.
That's the whole idea. We take poems that have outlived their centuries — Shelley, Henley, and more to come — and print them as art you can wear. Each design pairs a poem with a single strong image, made to be read up close, not shouted across a room.
Wearable literature. The poems we print are in the public domain, chosen because they still land: Ozymandias on the vanity of power, Invictus on standing back up. The front is the hook; often the whole poem lives on the back.
We release designs in small drops rather than endless catalogues — fewer things, made with more care.
Who runs Palimpsest
Palimpsest is an independent one-person studio owned and operated by Nevan Lancaster, trading as Palimpsest and based in Papamoa, Tauranga, New Zealand. It is not a marketplace or a reseller — every design in the store is our own original artwork, and every customer enquiry is answered by us directly, not by an outsourced support desk.
How we make and ship your order
We are transparent about how this works: Palimpsest operates on a made-to-order model. Nothing is held in a warehouse. When you place an order, your garment is printed and finished by our vetted production partners on heavyweight, garment-dyed cotton, then shipped directly to you. This means allowing 2–5 business days of production time before dispatch, and it means nothing is overproduced or sent to landfill.
Because each item is made individually for you, we cannot accept change-of-mind returns — please check the size guide before ordering. If an order arrives damaged, faulty, or not as ordered, we will replace it or refund it in full. Full details are in our Refund policy and Shipping policy.
Contact us
Questions, problems, or just want to suggest a poem? Email hello@palimpsest.nz, call +64 21 572 207, or use our Contact page. We reply within one business day.
Thanks for reading. And wearing.