Flags Importer Lesbian Labrys Pride Flag 3 x 5 ft Polyester

Long before the striped lesbian flags appeared online, the labrys flag was flying at pride events, and it still carries a lot of history. The Flags Importer Lesbian Labrys Pride Flag reproduces the design on 3 × 5 ft polyester: a white double-headed axe over an inverted black triangle, set on a violet field. It appeals to lesbians who want a flag with roots in feminist and community history rather than a newer colour scheme.

Three symbols, three histories

Graphic designer Sean Campbell created the flag in the late 1990s, and it was published in a Pride issue of the Gay and Lesbian Times. Each element was chosen on purpose. The labrys, an ancient double-bladed axe, was adopted by lesbian feminists in the 1970s through its link with the Amazons of Greek myth. The inverted black triangle recalls the badge Nazi camps used to mark people labelled "asocial", a group that included lesbians; like the pink triangle, it was later reclaimed as a symbol of resistance. Violet ties back to the poetry of Sappho, whose island, Lesbos, gave lesbians their name.

Where the labrys flag fits among lesbian flags

Today several lesbian flags are in use. The orange-and-pink sunset design is the most widely flown, while the pink seven-stripe flag and the lipstick version with a kiss mark have their own followings. The labrys flag sits apart from all of them as the older, symbol-based option. Some people pick it precisely because it doesn't depend on any online poll or blog; others fly it next to the sunset flag to mark both past and present. We carry the sunset lesbian flag and the pink lesbian flag in the same size.

The back of the flag

Dye-sublimated printing puts the design on one side and lets the colour pass through the polyester to the reverse. With a solid field and a central emblem, that matters: from the back, the triangle and axe appear as a mirror image. The axe is symmetrical, so it still reads well, but if you're hanging the flag flat on a wall, choose the printed face for the sharpest colour.

Display ideas

The deep violet looks rich indoors under warm light, so this flag works well above a bookshelf or in a hallway. Use the two metal grommets in the header tape to hang it from small hooks, and keep the triangle centred by measuring from the ceiling to each grommet before you fix them. Outside, it has double-stitched hems all round and a four-row seam at the fly to resist fraying, though dark colours fade faster in strong sun than pale ones, so bring it in when it isn't needed.

It also makes a meaningful piece for a community space, a women's centre or a lesbian history display, where the three symbols give visitors something to ask about. A short printed card explaining the labrys, the triangle and the violet turns the flag into a conversation starter rather than a puzzle.

Specifications

• Brand: Flags Importer
• Design: violet field with an inverted black triangle and a white labrys (double-headed axe)
• Size: 3 × 5 ft (about 91 × 152 cm)
• Material: polyester
• Print: dye-sublimated on one side; the colour shows through to the back
• Hanging: header tape with two metal grommets
• Edges: double-stitched, with four rows of stitching on the fly end

See all our identity flags in the LGBTQ+ Pride collection.