Cities tend to stick with us. For some people it’s where they grew up or where they spent four years or it’s the place they moved to and decided to stay or the place they left but still claim.
A good city shirt says all of that without saying too much. It's simple. Just the city name. Small. Off to the side. You wear it on a Monday at the office, on a plane, at your neighborhood bar. It works anywhere.
And people notice it. That is the real reason these shirts work so well. You pass someone wearing the name of your city and there is a moment of recognition, a little 'oh hey, I'm from Chicago'. It cuts right through the boring small talk and gets right to the connection. Those one or two words says you share something. You have a common starting point.
It doesn't not matter if you left years ago or if you only go back once in a while. A city you love stays with you and when people see the print on your shirt, they will feel it too.
You can buy a shirt that screams a message. You can buy something big and loud. That gets old and you grow out of them. People want something they actually wear again and again. Something simple that lasts longer.
You also don't have to explain it. Well, maybe you do. But that's where you get to tell your story. That conversation opens up naturally. You just see someone’s shirt and you start with: “Hey, you from there?” Or “I lived there too.” It is familiar. It is easy.
Big Little Cities keeps every shirt the same way. No huge logos. No bright colors you regret later. Just good cotton, a clean print, and a name that means something to you.
As we grow and make more cities and styles we hope that people collect them. One for where they grew up. One for college. One for the city they live in now. It is like a little map of where they have been.
Cities change fast. People move. Neighborhoods shift. A shirt keeps it simple. You do not need to explain your connection every time. You just wear it. That is enough.
So far, the prints are small, but people notice. One shirt has started road trip chats, job interviews, friendships, and more. It is one of the easiest ways to say who you are without trying too hard.
If you like your city, wear it. If you left, wear it anyway. If you want to remember, wear it.
Simple shirts for people who know where they are from. That is it.
