Philadelphia - July 22, 2009

Put Up Your Dukes

Duke & Winston T-Shirt Collection

On a sweltering day last week, we were grumpy, sweaty, and could barely keep our shirts on.

So our chance meeting with Seun Olubodun was serendipitous (for us, if not for him).

The Northern Liberties-based designer works with Bob Bland (Brooklyn Royalty) to make Duke & Winston, a line of cool, screen-printed tees that we considered stealing from the man.

The woodcut-esque shirts are emblazoned with Old English themes like flags (Olubodun grew up across the pond), crowd scenes, and royalty. He then jazzes them up with inconspicuous logos of his original design. And these aren’t just any old shirts: The Article 1 garments have a perfect V-neck.

Olubodun also makes dog scarves and has a line of canine accessories in the works.

Making a strong case for fair weather friends.

Available at Matthew Izzo, 151 North Third Street (215-829-0606 or matthewizzo.com). To see styles, go to duke-winston.com.