The city of Pittsburgh is looking to team up with professional designers or apparel manufacturers to create officially licensed and branded Pittsburgh merchandise.
Merchandise could include T-shirts, hats and more, officials said in an announcement from Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration.
The city on Wednesday issued a request for proposals for designers and apparel manufacturers, who can submit proposals online.
“It’s all meant to create better city pride, wrapped around this official city merchandise,” said James Hill, special assistant to the mayor.
Pittsburgh’s well-known black and gold colors, first adopted by a city sports team in 1925, now adorn the uniforms of all of the city’s professional sports teams. The city’s colors come from the coat of arms of its namesake, Sir William Pitt. They also inspired the City Flag and Great Seal. Using the colors to spark civic pride is part of the city’s plan, Hill said.
The city is considering partnering with multiple companies and is encouraging local companies who already market Pittsburgh-themed merchandise to send in proposals. Several businesses, including Shop412 and Steel City Clothing, have based their businesses around selling clothing and other items that invoke Pittsburgh pride.
Having officially licensed merchandise won’t stop those companies from continuing to sell their own Pittsburgh attire, Hill said. Those companies will be able to continue creating Pittsburgh merchandise, even if they don’t partner with the city to offer officially branded items;.
Official city merchandise will bear a tag or decal that declares it official merchandise to distinguish it from other Pittsburgh-themed items, Hill said.
Other cities, including New York City, also sell officially-licensed merchandise.
The city has access to items and information that could be used on their official merchandise, Hill said. For example, old city maps could make for unique pieces.
Once the city selects a partner, merchandise will be designed and produced. A portion of the revenues will return to the city.
Some merchandise could also show support for specific city parks or entities, Hill said.
“We view this as an opportunity to build public pride, engage with local vendors, get some cool merchandise out there and bring a little revenue back to the city,” Hill said.
