Wearing their local pride
Summerside friends start saucy clothing line showcasing East Coast quirks
No matter where someone is from, chances are there are local idiosyncrasies that would be unknown to anyone who didn’t grow up with them.
Prince Edward Island is no exception: ‘Up West’ and ‘Down East’ is gibberish to non-Islanders.
Recently, two friends from Summerside decided to try to cash in on some local quirks by starting a new clothing line proudly putting them on display.
The company has a saucy name to match its subject matter: East Coast AF Apparel.
Some examples of what they sell emblazoned on all manner of clothing and accessories? “In Boomer we trust,” “We’re probs related,” “Anne is my homegirl,” “No, no, no, yes, no,” “Move beach, get out the way,” and “Wanna shuck?”
There are others with a more Atlantic Canada flare, such as “Smell the fresh east coast (don) air,” and “Conception bae.”
Megan McDonald, a chiropractor, had the idea in early July and recruited her friend Luke Walker, who works at IO Solutions in Summerside, the very same day.
Walker recalls getting a stream of excited text messages from McDonald explaining the idea.
They quickly secured their domain name, www.eastcoastaf. ca and social media channels and started selling their designs online.
The response has been really exciting, said Walker.
“It’s been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve got a good following that’s growing every week,” he said.
Quirky t-shirts are hugely popular right now, as is clothing that identifies something about your hometown or your community, whatever that is, said McDonald.
She credits companies like Peace Collective, which sells Toronto-centric items, and the hugely popular East Coast Lifestyles brands as inspiration.
“I think people relate to our product. I think they find it funny and quirky,” she said.
“It’s truly about repping where you’re from. Being proud of who you are and where you’re from.”
Neither McDonald or Walker expect to quit their day jobs anytime soon to focus on selling clothes, but they do hope to continue to build their sidebusiness.
There are plans to gradually expand their items and designs and they hope to have enough stock on hand to do a pop-up store in the near future.
There are, after all, plenty more salty/quirky East Coast inside jokes that need telling.