By Vanessa Oswald
Looking for a shirt representing Buffalo that suits your particular style and eclectic tastes? There’s a new shirt in town that might agree with your idiosyncratic fancy. My Buffalo Shirt produces shirts showcasing Buffalo’s popular sports.
Adam Kern of West Seneca stumbled upon the idea to create a t-shirt company a few years back, but not just any t-shirt; he wanted one with significant edge. Since then he’s generated a few clothing lines, the names of which currently standing are MyBuffaloShirt.com and its sister company MySkullShirt.com. Both lines are owned by his corporation Justus Creations Inc. Each line is named aptly, but for his latest line, he is looking to expand his creativity.
Kern found the inspiration for his most recent endeavor in late 2008 when he realized how much hype there actually is around sports teams and sports in general within the Buffalo region. The collection includes shirts that represent some of Buffalo’s most popular sports, such as hockey, lacrosse, and football.
“I’ve always been really crafty and I wanted to channel my creativity into something that people can wear proudly,” said Kern. “This being my third t-shirt line, I decided to combine my love of Buffalo sports into something different and unique.”
Kern works with various talented artists in the Buffalo area to come up with artwork for the t-shirts. Occasionally, he also specializes in custom-made shirts for local bands and businesses, although he says right now he’s concentrating solely on this particular line of shirts. However, he’s always up for a challenge.
“I started the company from the ground up, from learning how to screen print, to the designs and the website. When I get more business than I can handle, I’ll bring friends or family in to help out,” says Kern.
Kern’s shirts are made with discharge ink rather than the industry standard plastiol ink most shirts are made with. This gives the shirts a vintage, one-of-a-kind feel, as opposed to the more generic shirts that can be found just about anywhere.
There’s definitely unique craftsmanship put into these shirts, setting them apart from the other Buffalo-branded shirts. If you’re the type of person who craves authenticity in the clothes you wear or would rather not buy from corporate-owned stores, these t-shirts are definitely for you.
“Mybuffaloshirt.com is my side job, and I’m an engineer during the day,” says Kern. “It would be nice running my company as a living if I got to that point, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if I didn’t. Currently, I’m enjoying what I’m doing and having fun with it.”
Krista Leon (left) and Adam Kern (right) modeling two of MyBuffaloShirt.com’s shirts.