Diver & Squid Bandana — Art by Dom “Etienne” Orejudos

A deep-sea fantasy rendered in bold line and ink, this limited-run bandana brings vintage adventure pulp and underground queer illustration into a single, charged tableau.

Featuring imagery from the Dom ‘Etienne’ Orejudos Collection, Leather Archives & Museum, Chicago.

At the center of the composition, a lone diver descends into open water and encounters a powerful octopus, their bodies entwined in a moment suspended between peril, curiosity, and attraction. The scene draws from the visual language of mid-century erotic art and maritime folklore, blending muscle, motion, and tentacled form into a dynamic study of control, surrender, and the unknown.

The illustration is framed by an original rope-style border created exclusively by The Haunted Disco, echoing vintage nautical graphics while grounding the image in crisp, contemporary screenprint form. The result feels like a recovered page from a forgotten leather-culture zine — graphic, playful, and unmistakably coded.

Each bandana is individually hand silk-screened in New York City using permanent acrylic ink, preserving the sharpness of the archival linework while allowing subtle variations that signal true human production. Whether worn, flagged, or displayed as wall art, the piece functions as both accessory and collectible fragment of queer visual history.

Details

• Hand silk-screened in NYC
• 100% cotton bandanas
• Permanent black acrylic ink
• Image area: approximately 18" × 18"
• Full bandana size: approximately 22" × 22"
• Small variations in ink density and fabric size reflect hand-pulled production
• Fabric softens significantly after the first wash