‘Square Boy’ Tee
Birds x Neil MacCormick
These tees are a collaboration between Birds of North America and artist Neil MacCormick. Neil has painted full time since 1984 and co-owns Birds of North America with his partner, designer Hayley Gibson. The two have shared a studio since meeting in 2006.
‘Square Boy’
I’ve aways loved this painting of Neil’s - the summeriness of it, the graphic red and white logo, the yellow awnings, and the name of the business. It’s such a special looking place!
Though I don’t have any personal experience of Square Boy restaurant, this painting really reminds me of my university summers in Toronto when I was in my early 20’s going to TMU for fashion design. I 100% would have frequented this place back then for Sunday morning hangover brunch if it had been in my neighbourhood! 😆
Neil didn’t know of this restaurant when he took the photo either - it was just a place that stood out strongly to him on one of the lengthy walks he would take around Toronto to look for inspiration for paintings. This day he was on the Danforth, and was struck by what an anachronistic presence this restaurant had: ‘The whole thing was so big - such a statement - it was shocking that it was still there and that no-one had managed to knock it down. Also that it wasn’t a chain - it was just this random place.’
The inspiration picture was taken just a few years before my time in Toronto began, and I’ve since learned that Square Boy is a beloved east-end institution on the Danforth that has been serving affordable Greek and diner-style food since 1964. It still exists, and the sign is as grand as ever!
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These tees are made in a Toronto factory out of locally milled, medium weight, 100% organic cotton jersey. These tees can be machine washed and tumble dried. The classic tees will shrink 1" total in length with a wash and dry, and the cropped tees will shrink just 1/2" total. We haven't found there to be any width shrinkage with washing and drying.
In these images, Hayley is 5'7" and wears our size M Cropped Black tee, and Neil is 6'1" and wears our size XL Classic White tee. These tees fit on the larger side of the Birds size chart, but for your everyday classic T-shirt, that fits a bit more generously, they fit 'normally', or as you would expect them to.
If you're going by your regular size in the Birds size chart, we recommend that you take a full size down. If you normally take a S in Birds, the XS will work for you in this. If you normally take a 3X in Birds, the 2X will work for you.
A tip for fit - if you have a favourite classic tee at home, and you'd like the same fit, just lay it flat and measure across the chest to find the closest equivalent in the charts below!
Cropped Tee
Classic Tee
Everything at Birds of North America is vegan and has been made ethically in Canada since we began in 2007. We have a strong focus on sustainability, and strive to create high-quality garments that last a long time. You can browse vintage Birds styles that we've gathered back as part of our buyback program in our ReNesting section!
