DETROIT – Detroit vs. Everybody, Detroit Hustles Harder and Straight Outta Detroit. These are just a few of the t-shirts that you'll see people wearing, repping "The D." Now, a new wave of Detroit pride apparel is taking over with a new message.
"I am my city. It's a brand. It's more than a t-shirt line. I envision it as a movement."
Meet Dawn Patterson. She's the CEO and one woman army behind I Am My City: Detroit.
"I want it to bring communities together and to me it represents unity and the renewal of the city," said Patterson.
Patterson not only came up with the brand slogan, she's also the creative director behind the brand's image and even designed the website where the shirts are all sold. She wanted to create something to show Detroit pride.
"Detroit doesn't have that dark stigma it did once before and that's what I want to show people,” said Patterson. “We're Detroiters. We stick together."
"How does it make you feel when you see somebody wearing one of your shirts?” asked Local 4’s Evrod Cassimy.
“You know what? I get very excited!” said Patterson. “It's hard not to smile!"
You're also guaranteed to smile when you see someone wearing a CFranks Original.
"CFranks is a custom apparel company. We specialize in one of a kind conversational pieces for men, women and children," said Cristal Franklin.
The blinged out CFranks Original shirts are created by Cristal Franklin. If the name sounds familiar, Cristal is the niece of the Queen of Soul, Miss Aretha Franklin. Each shirt features her late father, Reverand C. L. Franks and is an attention grabber.
"It has all the people, places and things that made Detroit hot in the 60s, 70s and 80s," explained Franklin.
"One of the other things was like Earl Flynn. Earl Flynn was kind of a dance that we did in the club,” explained Franklin. “The Boblo Boat. Everybody remembers the Boblo Boat!"
Franklin hopes her collection will be a bit nostalgic for Detroiters. And though these are two different brands with different messages, like the many others, they all have one thing in common: Love for the city of Detroit.
Both I Am My City: Detroit and CFranks are available for purchase online in a variety of colors and sizes.
Please visit:
I Am My City: Detroit: https://www.iammycity.com/
CFranks: http://cfranksoriginal.com/