Teach Shirts

It's time to get wild like they did back in the day.

The creators of Emperial Nation clothing are out to prove that you are never too cool to get schooled. In fact, they'll school you and make you cool(er) all at once. Started by a team of business-minded streetart buffs, the company takes inspiration for its graphic tee designs from the annals of history. Their collections are organized like history books. Topics include the Civil War, Harlem Renaissance, and the French Revolution. The rebel spirit is alive and well in their subject matter, so there's no need to worry about boring your friends with your dusty old lessons. There are plenty of gun-toting revolutionaries, rise-up types, and system stompers on the tees to keep things lively.

Tees featuring Five Points founder Paul Kelly (l) and Civil War soldier Andrew Benton (r).

Fraterni-tee: a print of Alpha Phi Alpha.

A healthy respect for the past is an important asset at any time, but our knowledge of history is usually used as a way to keep things from repeating again and again. In these times Emperial Nation's historical tees can be seen as sartorial calls to action. Need some inspiration to fight the good fight? Look down at your chest and see a portrait of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first African American inter-collegiate fraternity who formed to fight racial discrimination at Cornell Univeristy in 1906. Need to do tough battle with someone or something? Check your chest and get a glimpse of Civil War soldier Andrew Benton. Feel like going gangster on someone (figuratively of course)? Wear your mugshot tee featuring a cop-captured portrait of Paul Kelly, who founded the Five Points Gang and ran New York City until the fuzz caught up with him. Maybe a mugshot tee isn't the most positive place to get inspiration for action, but it certainly is badass and when the cookies are crumbling all over, who doesn't want to feel a little badass? As long as you keep the violent tendencies to the front of your shirt, it's all good. Besides, maybe Kelly's mug will deter people from messing with you, then it's definitiely all good. You want your own histor-tee, don't you? Visit the Emperial Nation website and scope their stuff. Priced at $37 to $41 they can be a reasonable, historical investment in your future.