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They say dog is man’s best friend, but I beg to differ. There is nothing more comforting than a great-fitting, comfy tee that you can wear with confidence, knowing that not every schmo will be wearing the same one. After last week’s feature on Legionnaire Army, I realized the necessity of such independent tees. Here are some of my tops picks; as you’ll discover, vintage shops and chain stores aren’t the only places to find great tees!

Johnny Cupcakes tees were originally sold out of a trunk. Branding guru Johnny Earle created unique, limited-edition shirts that developed a cult following. Though his brand has grown, Johnny Cupcakes remains anything but mainstream; quaint little bakeries serve as storefront decoys–with the newest location on Melrose Avenue in L.A. Take a peek, but buyer beware; there are no sweets to be had.

When visiting a city, visitors often like to buy a wearable as a souvenir. While these tees may be city-specific, they aren’t typical tourist purchases.  Burn Suburbia collaborates with designers from different cities to create unique shirts that represent their hometowns or residences. The tees are all handmade in the U.S.A., and are screen-printed on American Apparel T-shirts.

London Tee

Tokyo Tee

The Affair from East London prints limited-edition T-shirts made out of desperation; like most of us, the designers are simply seeking jobs. As stated on their website, the line began when “a strange thing happened amidst the rubble of broken dreams and the boozers of East London.” Hoewver, the tees are a little deeper than a bit of intemperance. Their designs take influence from literature, history, culture and sci-fi. Each tee has a tale, and each tale is that shirt’s graphic message.

“Hell is other people.” – J.P. Sartre

What was Sartre talking about? Did he find other people annoying? Did he mean that others’ existence is our inescapable jail? Or, was he simply a miserable old bastard who needed to get out more?

Philosophical interpretations aside, you may not always have full control of your own identity, but you could do worse than be seen in this stylish appropriation of a heady, existentialist dilemma.

“A tragic tale of cyber-warfare and betrayal, in a Cold War future that never happened.”

Had it run according to plan, ‘Operation Screaming Fist’ would have crippled the Russian defense computers by plaguing it with a sophisticated virus. Instead, Colonel Willis Corto met his fiery doom high above the icy steppes of Siberia.

A single line of William Gibson’s “Neuromancer” speaks volumes.

There are plenty of additional independent T-shirt companies out there I dig, but–because I can’t give all my secrets away in one post–the last brand that I am going to feature today is Married to the MOB (Most Official Bitches). The New York brand was conceptualized by Leah McSweeney, who decided women need to be represented in the streetwear scene. As evident in the name, the brand brings big attitude and plenty of originality.

So, seek and be happy. Remember: T-shirts don’t just have to come from H&M or American Eagle. Make your best tee unique.