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Draft:Steel City Brand

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  • Comment: Fails WP:NCOMPANY. The Steel City website is a primary source and therefore not independent, neither are interviews or press releases by the brand. Dan arndt (talk) 23:59, 28 July 2024 (UTC)


Steel City is an apparel retailer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 2011 by Brandon and Carly Grbach..[1] The brand is best known for retailing graphic t-shirts based on Pittsburgh sports, landmarks, and history.

History

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After dropping out of college in 2004[2], Pittsburgh graphic designer Brandon Grbach taught himself Adobe Photoshop and started designing t-shirts for a friend’s small business. When that business shut down, he and then-girlfriend Carly co-founded their own apparel brand in 2011 with Brandon helming design. They named the brand Steel City, after the popular nickname given to the city of Pittsburgh.

In addition to e-commerce, Steel City apparel has been sold in-person at local events, trade shows, and craft fairs. The brand quickly gained popularity in Pittsburgh as well as U.S. cities with an industrial background; customers expressed interest in designs inspired by vintage sportswear and a blue collar aesthetic. In 2016, Steel City opened its first retail location in downtown Pittsburgh[3]. They currently operate three brick-and-mortar stores in the region.[4]

Partnerships

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Steel City has sold apparel designed in partnership with high-profile Pennsylvania businesses and charities. Examples include Eat’n Park restaurant[5], Fred Rogers Productions[6], the Mario Lemieux Foundation, the Heyward House (founded by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward), and Tree of Life synagogue (to raise funds following the 2018 terrorist attack that took place there)[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Check Out Our Steel City Clothing Story | Steel City Brand". Steel City. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  2. ^ "How a college dropout turned CEO grew his savings into a seven-figure business". blog.dropbox.com. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  3. ^ "Steel City apparel brand expands with Downtown store". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  4. ^ "Steel City Brand Locations". Steel City. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  5. ^ "Fashion find of the week: Eat'n Park holiday tree T-shirt by Steel City". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  6. ^ "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! There's a Mister Rogers clothing collection coming soon". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  7. ^ "Steel City unveils 'Broken Heart' shirt to raise money for Tree of Life Synagogue in wake of mass shooting". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2024-07-28.