It’s no secret that I have a lot of love for the city of Milwaukee and have debatably overdone it with wearing multiple local apparel items at one time (a Milwaukee branded hat, a t-shirt, and even a hoodie… a walking promotional billboard for the city).
Read: 25 Milwaukee Area TikTokers
Over the years I have acquired quite a few items from a handful of different vendors, many of which are included on this list. Then there are a few local apparel companies that I haven’t gotten around to purchasing from yet, but their options may fit your style so I wanted to include them too!
The commonality between each brand is that they offer apparel that represents Milwaukee (among other options), so don’t view this as a ‘ranking’. The brands listed are in reverse alphabetical order, I’m a sucker for a countdown.
10. Wiskullsin (IG: @Wiskullsin)
Shop Online: Wiskullsin.com
I’m almost certain that this is the first brand that I bought local apparel from roughly 10 years ago, back then it would have been a blue “Good Times Great Lakes” shirt and a yellow “Four One Fuckin Four” shirt. I have since also added a green Wiskullsin shirt with the basketball imprint on it. One last throwback memory, I remember when Joey Wiz hosted an event where they were screenprinting clothes and tattooing their Wiskullsin logo on those that were interested; while I didn’t personally get one, others did.
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9. SUPERGIANT Design (IG: @The_SuperGiant)
Shop Online: SuperGiant.space
I can’t remember if it was 2018 or 2019, but I remember seeing SUPERGIANT with their booth at the Summer Soulstice festival on North Avenue with their spin of the MTV logo with the MKE letters and the People’s Flag of Milwaukee! It’s a design that carries that nostalgic energy with some local vibes.
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8. HashtagMKE (IG: @HashtagMKE)
Shop Online: HashtagMKE.com/Shop
I have been hosting networking events in Milwaukee since January 12, 2017, and it took me a year to get a proper logo. I made a one-of-a-kind hat (at the time) and wore it to every event – inevitably I started getting requests to buy the hat and it was always a distant dream to launch an apparel line featuring HashtagMKE apparel. Never did I think at the start of the pandemic that I would launch a merch line before I started hosting events again, but here we are – and I couldn’t be more excited to have you here, looking through this website!
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7. FOURTHECITY (IG: @FourTheCity)
Shop Online: FourTheCityBrand.com
One thing that has stood out to me from the start about this brand is how community-oriented they are. I’ve seen them partnering with local organizations to raise money to be donated to feed the hungry (via Hunger Task Force), they’ve collected toy donations for kids, they’ve raised money for local music (via 88.9 Radio Milwaukee). This is a truly great brand to support and to know that they give back to our community.
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6. Cuatro Uno Cuatro (IG: @CuatroUnoCuatro)
Shop Online: CuatroUnoCuatro.com
In the off-chance that you’re wondering what “Cuatro Uno Cuatro” is … it’s Spanish for “Four One Four”. I met the owners of this brand at a HashtagMKE networking event a few years back and quickly became friends with them. They are great community partners and working hard to empower the community.
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5. Cream City Print Lounge (IG: @CreamCityPrintLounge)
Shop Online: CreamCityPrintLounge.com
Formerly known as Rep Wisconsin Apparel, I bought their last green hoodie with the Milwaukee skyline on the front pocket at the MKE Local Market a few years back. I wear that hoodie A LOT in my TikToks. It’s just so warm and cozy.
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4. City Home Apparel aka MilwaukeeHome (IG: @MilwaukeeHome)
Shop Online: MKEhome.com
If you were asked to name a local apparel brand off the top of your head, I would almost expect you to think of MilwaukeeHome. They’ve become a local staple and just about as iconic as the bronze Fonz along the Milwaukee Riverwalk. Their brand has even been printed on Koss Headphones as a collaborated product that you can purchase.
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3. Brew City Brand (IG: @BrewCityBrand)
Shop Online: BrewCityOnline.com
Brew City Brand has a kiosk inside of the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, if you’re departing or arriving and need a quick Milwaukee gift for someone, you’ll likely buy it from Brew City Brand! They have another kiosk located within the Milwaukee Public Market. They have some great locations!
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2. Beard MKE (IG: @BeardMKE)
Shop Online: BeardMKE.com
Beard MKE was nominated for six 2020 Best of Milwaukee Awards from the Shepherd Express and won 3 of the categories (Best LGBTQ-Friendly Business, Best Men’s Clothing, and Best Men’s Hair Salon). While they do a lot from their retail store off of North Avenue, they also sell quite a few apparel options.
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1. 414 Milwaukee aka Too Much Rock for One Hand (IG: @414milwaukee)
Shop Online: 414milwaukee.com
This brand holds the official trademark for use of ‘414’ written as numbers on apparel. So if you’re looking for merch that just displays 414 – 414 Milwaukee is the vendor for you. They also offer varying designs that will help you represent Milwaukee including 414 written as roman numerals, IV I IV.
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Watch on TikTok: Milwaukee Apparel Transitions Video
Bonus – GILTEE (IG: @Giltee_MKE)
Shop Online: Giltee.com
I’m including this brand as a bonus as a large majority of their apparel is targeted towards Tosa and Wisconsin as a whole. But they do have a few Milwaukee-specific items (one including the People’s Flag of Milwaukee and a few more designs). I actually first found out about them from the comments section of one of my TikToks.
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Bonus – Support Local MKE (IG: @SupportLocalMKE)
Shop Online: SupportLocalMKE.com
Born from the pandemic, this brand started on Instagram to support local businesses as they struggled to survive the impact of COVID-19. It continues to grow its presence in the community and has started selling t-shirts for those that want to show off their desire to do just as their name suggests: Support Local.
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If I missed your favorite Milwaukee apparel company, let me know on social media at @JMattMke (same handle on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat)!
Join fellow Hashtaggers and sign up for our newsletter! Also, look up our groups on Facebook (mention you were referred from the website) and LinkedIn. Finally, be alerted when we publish new events, follow us on Eventbrite!
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