GEAR LOVE: "STAY NORTHERN"

NORTHERN ETIQUETTE sticker, image captured from website by PKSenagore February 20, 2017.

NORTHERN ETIQUETTE™ APPAREL: DO YOU LOVE CASUAL CLOTHES WITH A PREPPY REGIONAL STYLE to wear after cleaning up from a run on the weekend? In the East, Massachusetts has Vineyard Vines™ apparel and Maine has LL Bean™. California is home to California Republic™, with Hollister™ emblematic of SoCal, and the newer Chubbies™ attempting to free the thighs of Northern California types from workday long pants. The South boasts Southern Tide™ and Country Club Prep™, as well as Southern Marsh™ garment lines. Lovers of the Pacific Northwest can don casual wear from The Great PNW™.  Midwesterners can wear Flyover Living™ garb, out of Missouri. (see note below)
 
What about the upper tier states of the north central US that border the Great Lakes? We now have our own preppy clothing brand, courtesy of a pair of Michigan State University business students, Tyler Mehigh and Conor Jacobs.  NORTHERN ETIQUETTE. The pair of entrepreneurs explain on their website that they’ve spent most of their lives “enjoying the many wonders of Michigan’s outdoors” and wish to “embody” the friendliness and values “on which we were raised” in their clothing and company.
 
”This apparel is for those who help put in their neighbor’s dock, wave to every boater passing by, grill enough food to share with friends, enjoy the long days on the water, and personify what it means to have Northern Etiquette.”
 
Like many from the Mitten State they eagerly anticipate traveling ‘up North’ to ‘cottages’ to a simpler life which includes summer evening bonfires, winter skiing, and seasonal fishing at dawn. For others this involves sunning on the beaches of a lake, camping in a state park, walking to the nearby general store for necessities, and eating local ice cream. Many major Michigan State Parks have a nearby signature lighthouse; one is prominently featured on some of the company’s clothing items and accessories.
 
Performance wear is not yet offered by Northern Etiquette™, but one of the purposes of this post is to encourage its founders to think about carrying a few active wear items for running, walking, cycling, or swimming.  Other prep clothiers also mostly offer comfortable casual wear. The exceptions are the Tracksmith™ clothing line, which, as its name indicates is performance running wear that evokes the fashion tradition of New England track and field teams and clubs. Krass and Co.™ arose amidst the campus scene of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to provide a preppy-version of athletic shorts.
 
Since being active in the great outdoors is a northern tradition, runners might appreciate being able to display pride in their regional origins wherever they run. It could be along the Lakeshore Trail in Chicago, the Mall in Washington DC, the Strand in Manhattan Beach CA, or in NYC’s Central Park. The hats can serve this purpose now, but a stylish performance T-shirt would be a great way to #STAY NORTHERN
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
Note: There are likely other regional apparel companies that were not identified in this article, so please comment if you’d like to get another favorite mentioned, regardless of how new or small.
 
https://www.northernetiquette.com/
 
http://broad.msu.edu/2017/02/01/midwest-pride-student-launches-clothing-line/
 
https://www.jackthreads.com/jtedit/2014/02/11/we-power-ranked-the-14-preppiest-brands-available-today-cause-mumsy-told-us-to