Alaska News

Looking for Alaska pride gear? With vendors on the rise, the Alaska State Fair is teeming with it

From $9 "Bear Plate" T-shirts at Apone's T-Shirt Cache to a $152 designer "Last Frontier" hoodie at Blush, there's an Alaska-love apparel item for anyone who wants one at the Alaska State Fair.

And as the styles emerge, and in some cases converge, vendors are trying to keep pace and stand out among the expanding crowd.

"It's absolutely growing," said Nick McDonald, owner of Big Dipper Clothing Co. and a six-year vendor at the fair.

Walk down any trail at the fair and you'll find multiple booths selling T-shirts and sweaters emblazoned with Alaska designs. There are whimsical jellyfish from Anchorage's Octopus Ink and hand-drawn nautical compasses from Homer's Salmon Sisters. At a booth called "Locals Only," be ready to find Sledneck shirts and pink T-shirts emblazoned "AK Dirty Girls" in between "Born N(AK)ED" tees.

Vendors and fair-goers generally agree that while the idea of Alaska-themed T-shirts isn't anything new, it appears to be on the rise, especially at the Alaska State Fair, where all the T-shirt printers who generally lack brick-and-mortar stores converge.

And most vendors say Alaskans are buying them for one consistent reason: state pride.

"It's nice to see people doing something that represents the state and shows off how much we love our state," said McDonald, who sells everything from Van Gogh-esque "starry night" Alaska flag hoodies to "AK Tuff" shirts with Xtratuf boots embedded in the design. "We're proud to be from Alaska."

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Anchorage-based fashion writer Leslie Boyd Shroyer thinks the amount of new clothing vendors at the fair is "amazing," but also not surprising.

"Alaskans love Alaska and all things about Alaska," she said. "It just capitalizes on that love."

She thinks the uptick in designs plays into Alaska identity and wanting to show it off. When asked if the fair has reached "saturation point," she didn't think it was there quite yet.

"Will we ever stop poking fun at Texas?" she wondered.

James Apone has capitalized on the Alaska versus Texas trend at Apone's T-Shirt Cache since 1984. On Wednesday, wearing his own black shirt with a Darwin quote on evolution, he pointed to the hundreds of T-shirts lining his booth, with everything from wolves howling at the moon and Bible quotes to "Yes We Cannabis" shirts.

"T-shirts are very topical," he said. "They touch a nerve at where society is at a certain point in time."

Apone draws Alaskans in with a giant "Alaska: Pissin' Off Texas Since 1959" shirt designed by an Anchorage bartender in the 1980s. The shirt has been a mainstay of his booth for decades. He said it plays into the pride of living in Alaska.

"(Alaska) is a magical place, and a kind of magic takes places to keep people here," he said. "(People) have pride in the fact that they're a part of it."

Marie Conover, owner and designer of Alaska Wild Child, admitted she was torn over whether she should focus on tourists or locals when she started her business two years ago.

She settled on locals, producing clean, modern designs that include everything from a school of salmon to a humpback whale gliding underwater. Her clothing is geared toward children, but also had a few hoodies with "Happy Camper" printed on the front in adult sizes.

"I wasn't sure which was going to be more profitable," she said. "But I find that I enjoy (designing for locals) more."

Conover said she did her research before setting up her booth for the first year. It's been profitable for her and she hopes to return again next year. But she admits that people with designs that more derivative or quickly thrown together probably won't last.

Boyd Shroyer seemed to agree. She pointed out that some designs, like Alaska Starfish Co., have become ubiquitous in Alaska for staying true to their design while also having a willingness to adapt.

"Some vendors will stay around because it's timeless or they'll figure out a way to make it fresh," she said. "Others will take advantage of the current trend and then fade away, but the concept won't go away."

That's been intentional for Alaska Starfish Co. owner and designer Marci Nelson. She's been selling sweatshirts and T-shirts with minimalist designs -- tiny wildflowers or small starfish -- at the fair for the last 12 years. She said design has always come first, with a desire to never to descend into logo wear.

"It's more a design with a meaning," she said, "and that resonates with people because of its simplicity."

Over the years she's had to expand into two fair booths, including adding a second building that's 2 feet taller than the original due to popularity.

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"We built something that helps build that love of Alaska," she said. "That's a win for everyone."

Lauren Gette-King and her mother, Judy Gette, walked out of Nelson's shop with a few trinkets but no T-shirts Wednesday. Gette instead bought a handmade necklace and "Mountain Men of Alaska" calendar for her daughters who live Outside.

Gette-King, 22, also wanted to browse. She has a whole closet full of "Alaska wear" with everything from a Scissorkick "Alaska hand" tee to Salmon Sisters anchor leggings that she wears with her Xtratufs. She likes being able to show them off, especially when traveling out of state.

"It's a unique thing," she said of her love of Alaska wear. "We want to be different from the rest of the U.S."

Gette said the gifts are tokens to her other daughters living far from home. She's hopeful that the calendar, full of half-naked men engaging in a variety of Alaska activities, might be enough for at least one of them to return.

"Maybe that will draw her back," she joked.

Suzanna Caldwell

Suzanna Caldwell is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in 2017.

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