Wise Guys Collection
Our Wise Guys collection is inspired by Dad’s 70-year-old gym shirt from his years spent at the United States Military Academy, West Point, in the 1950s. West Point was particularly tough back then — especially for someone with dyslexia like my father. Many cadets would drop out or fail in their first semester but Dad made it through.
Like my father, this shirt endured four tough years of military training, and has survived to tell the tale.
“What are you, some kinda wise guy?”
“What are you, some kinda wise guy?” was the go-to taunt amongst boys in Queens, New York in the 1930s and 40s - where dad spent his childhood.
This collection is a reminder of the value that comes with age. Each design is rooted in sentiments and phrases that reflect Dad’s lifetime of experience, enduring wit and the lessons from this chapter of our lives.
The designs are made by hand using a traditional letterpress and original 19th century wood type in a studio in East London.