‘Turner’s’ 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.
‘Turner's’
Turner’s was a convenience store in Victoria, BC, where I grew up, that was situated near the Royal Jubilee Hospital in a unique pie shaped building with a rounded front angle on it. The building was owned by a man named Mr. Turner, and his son, Ian, had a little cafe just beside the convenience store called, unsurprisingly, ‘Ian’s’. Though I never went into the convenience store, the beautiful ‘Turner’s’ sign is synonymous to me with Ian’s cafe next door, where I have very fond memories of eating a slice of pie with my Dad when I was a child.
I don’t know why we were at Turner’s that day - it was a very unusual thing to be out just with my Dad, and to get a sweet treat on top of it. He was a guy who always loved greasy spoons, hearty, home-cooked food, and an unpretentious atmosphere, and I remember Ian’s fitting the bill perfectly for this. There were old curtains in the window that always seemed to be half closed and old fashioned diner-style stools along the counter with a few pies displayed under glass domes.
Having a lifelong sweet tooth, the place stuck in my mind after that visit like a beacon for the comfort of delicious pie, and also the presence of someone whose attention and company I craved. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that pie is one of my favourite things to eat as an adult - I would draw a line directly back to this experience.
Turner’s had recently closed when Neil moved to Victoria in 1989, but it was just around the corner from where he moved to, and he noticed it early on. ‘It was such a cool, round front building, with the sign wrapping around the curve of the building. It used to be lit up, and was still lit up at night, even after it closed. It had a beautiful blue light at the back of the sign which lit the wall and cast everything into a blue glow behind the lettering. It was a beautiful sign.’
A special place, indeed. Now I’m off to find some pie!! 😆
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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 S Cropped Black tee, and Neil is 6'1" and wears our size L 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!
