Description
- ✦ 100% combed ring-spun cotton
- ✦ Athletic Heather: 85% cotton, 15% viscose
- ✦ Charcoal Heather: 60% polyester, 40% cotton
- ✦ Fabric weight: 5.5 oz/yd² (186.48 g/m²)
- ✦ Soft-washed, tight-knit mid/heavyweight material
- ✦ Relaxed fit with sleeveless drop arm
- ✦ Blank product sourced from Bangladesh
- ✦ This product is made on demand. No minimums.
Chicago Flag Symbolic Edition: Premium Basics Meet Civic Pride
The Flag That Conquered a City—Then America
In 1917, Wallace deGroot Cecil Rice, a Harvard lawyer turned Chicago Tribune journalist who lectured on heraldry at the Art Institute, created what would become America’s most beloved city flag. Hired to write competition rules for Chicago’s flag contest, Rice submitted his own design—and won unanimous city council approval on April 4, 1917, the same day the U.S. entered WWI. His design featured two light blue bars representing Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, three white bands for the North, West, and South sides, and initially two red six-pointed stars.
Four Stars, Six Points Each, Infinite Meanings
Today’s four stars commemorate pivotal moments: the Great Fire (1871), World’s Columbian Exposition (1893), Century of Progress (1933), and Fort Dearborn (1803). Each star’s six points carry specific meanings—Fort Dearborn represents Transportation, Labor, Commerce, Finance, Populousness, and Salubrity. The Great Fire symbolizes Religion, Education, Aesthetics, Justice, Beneficence, and Civic Pride. These weren’t just decorative choices but “peculiarly and singularly Chicago stars,” as Rice defended them.
The Symbolic Edition: Four New Icons for Modern Chicago
Our Symbolic Edition reimagines the flag’s four positions with universal symbols: Money ($), Power (⏻), Love (♥), and Peace (☮). Money honors the commodity exchanges and the hustle that built skyscrapers from swampland. Power represents both electrical innovation (from the World’s Fair’s White City) and political force (from the Daleys to Harold Washington to Obama). Love captures Chicago’s fierce neighborhood loyalty. Peace acknowledges both struggles and aspirations—from Jane Addams’s Hull House to modern movements for justice.
The Chicago Design System: Democracy in Action
In 2019, Chicago launched the first municipal design system built for both government and public use. Its crown jewel, Big Shoulders typeface, includes the Chicago star as a discretionary ligature. Official colors—Flag Blue (Pantone 298) and Star Red (Pantone 185)—meet accessibility standards. This open-source approach means any Chicagoan can create materials that feel authentically Chicago, democratizing civic identity like never before.
Premium Tank: Built for Chicago Versatility
This tank top embodies Chicago’s work-hard, play-hard mentality. The 5.5 oz mid/heavyweight fabric stands up to gym sessions and summer festivals alike. The soft-washed, ring-spun cotton feels broken-in from day one—no pretense, all comfort. The relaxed fit with drop arm works whether you’re shooting hoops in Humboldt Park, catching a show at Metro, or layering up for unpredictable Chicago weather. This is democratic fashion: premium quality that works for everyone, everywhere.
Why The Symbolic Edition Tank Matters
Chicago strips everything down to essentials. No excess, no BS—just what works. This tank top follows that philosophy: premium basics that last, design that means something, versatility that matches city life. From morning workouts to late-night shows, from the lakefront to the neighborhoods, this piece moves with you.
The Symbolic Edition transforms civic pride into daily wear. By replacing historical stars with contemporary symbols—Money, Power, Love, and Peace—we’re not abandoning tradition but evolving it. This is how Chicago has always worked: taking what came before and making it work for today. Premium cotton meets civic symbolism meets practical versatility. That’s Chicago.
“It’s always a good decision to invest in premium-quality basics that’ll look good and last long.”
— Chicago philosophy since 1837
Essential Chicago. No more, no less.
From gym to street to wherever the night takes you, carry Chicago’s symbols on premium fabric that works as hard as you do.
Heritage Tribute Collection: The Symbolic Edition is an original artistic interpretation inspired by the Chicago flag (1917, public domain) and informed by the Chicago Design System’s democratic principles. Features original symbolic elements (money, power, love, peace) as creative commentary on urban values. Not an official City of Chicago product. Part of Vintage Chicago’s mission to evolve civic symbols for contemporary expression.
