Business & Tech
Black And Gold T-Shirts Becoming Fashion Hit
Jennifer Baron of Dormont creates Pittsburgh-centric T-shirts.
The fever for all things black and gold as the Steelers prepare for the Super Bowl is running high and creating entrepreneurial opportunities.
Dormont resident Jennifer Baron is capitalizing on that with her “Black and Gold is the New Black” T-shirts for her online store, Fresh Popcorn Productions.
She created them for the Steeler's last Super Bowl appearance, but has been seeing a resurgence in demand this season.
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The phrase has its roots in the fashion industry.
“I’m constantly coming up with phrases and ideas for T-shirt slogans,” Baron said. “I’m always writing them down in my journal.”
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When the idea for her “Black and Gold” shirt came to her, Baron knew she had a winner.
“I played with the font, made mock-up designs with different shades of the gold,” Baron said of her creation process. “Then I ran it by some die-hard fans.”
They liked it and so did the public.
“I thought it might be more favored for women,” Baron said, “but just as many sold are for men.”
You can also find the shirt at Wildcard Boutique in Lawrenceville, The CMU Miller Gallery, where ESPN filmed the “Whatever It Takes” Steelers exhibition, and at Etsy.com.
Most of her sales are from the far-flung outposts of Steeler Nation.
“I shipped one to Cincinnati, three to L.A.” Baron said. “So many people are buying who live in other places."
The shirt transcends the Steelers, according to Baron.
“It works for all the sports,” Baron said. “It’s not tied to a date, so you can wear it in perpetuity. Also, it’s just a Pittsburgh celebration. You don’t have to be a huge sports fan to wear it.”
After all, the city's official colors are black and gold.
Another reason for the popularity is the renewed focus on local and handmade creations.
“There’s more interest in knowing where your food comes from, your clothing, your housewares,” Baron said.
Baron has long been involved in the local and handmade scene. She formed a craft collective while she lived in Brooklyn. When she moved back to the Pittsburgh area in 2002, she began looking for a similar community in the area and found Handmade Arcade.
After joining the group as a vendor for a year, Baron became an organizer. Handmade Arcade’s marquee event is the annual craft show. It’s Pittsburgh’s largest independent craft fair and runs April 16 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
