The City Ate My Closet

As any true connoisseur of New York merch knows, the best stuff is often found in the back, so to speak. The surprise of learning that your favorite slice joint or specialty supermarket or bathhouse sells a T-shirt when they have no business doing so (literally), is what makes it so covetable, as opposed to the actual quality of the T-shirt itself.

It’s a souvenir collector’s equivalent of finding buried treasure, only the wearer is rich in insider-ness. By wearing an L&B Spumoni Gardens T-shirt, for example, you are not only saying “I enjoy a Sicilian square pie,” but also that you’ve made the trip to Gravesend enough times to know that you have to go up to the counter and ask for one yourself. (I was told to ask for a guy named John.)

When the pandemic hit the city, though, and New Yorkers were no longer able to frequent their favorite spots in person, buying merch from a safe distance — so, mostly online — became one way to support local business, to feel connected to a place beyond one’s own apartment, and to show some hometown pride when the city was down. Nonprofits like Merch4Relief and Neighborhood Spot popped up to pair designers with establishments that didn’t already have merch, and unofficial mascots like New York Nico hosted a contest for the “Best New York T-shirt,” resulting in more (better) merch than ever before. A distinctly anti-fashion impulse became more accessible, and by extension, a trendier phenomenon: We’re calling it Zizmorecore, which you can read more about in this week’s cover story — and peruse some examples of, below.

Here, we’ve culled an utterly fractional sampling of some of the most-worn (and most-coveted) New York merch. Really, it’s just a slice of what’s out there — please, show us more on social media and in the comments — but we’ve attempted to organize it all into a museum of sorts, divided into four different categories: the “Old Faithfuls” — stuff from beloved spots that have been around forever. Swag from the “New Guard,” which includes shirts from natural-wine bars and community nonprofits, plus some Dimes lip balm. Then we have “DI(N)Y,” meaning the bootlegs, one-offs, and various other non-sanctioned objets d’art made by small brands and individual creatives. And finally, New York’s most obsessive collectors — the guys behind spots like Procell and Fantasy Explosion — share their favorite, most exceedingly rare finds from establishments past and present.

Another thing that any true New York merch connoisseur knows is that the best stuff is constantly in and out of stock. (Good luck getting that Knicks tee on Fantasy Explosion, for example — drops usually sell out in half an hour.) So if you can’t find something you love in-person or on the establishment’s website, trying looking on eBay or Etsy. Happy hunting.

New Yawk Style

Old Faithfuls

Stuff from beloved spots that have been around forever.

New Yawk Style

The New Guard

Swag from natural-wine bars and community nonprofits, plus some Dimes lip balm.

New Yawk Style

 DI(N)Y

Bootlegs, one-offs, and various other non-sanctioned art objets.

New Yawk Style

Vintage Grails

New York’s most obsessive collectors share their favorite, most exceedingly rare finds.

*This article appears in the March 1, 2021, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

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