Defend New Orleans

New Orleans is chock-​full of t-​shirt shops, and boy, do I love a good tee.
I really can’t believe this was my first time in Defend New Orleans. Comparing them to other t-​shirt shops is apples to oranges. If you like more toned down styles to rep your city, mostly mono-​colored prints or wording, DNO is going to be your jam.
It’s a really clean store with everything displayed nicely, and if they don’t have your size on the shirt rack, they may have it in the back. I also like that they have different styles of shirts for their different prints.
They have a great sticker set, if you like to stick local-​centric stickers on your car, computer, fish tank… They also have these incredibly cute lapel pins that I may start incorporating into my wardrobe ’cause they are so damn cute.
They also have an array of local books, vintage records, and vintage tees (some of which I think are priced high, buuut if you really want it, then you really want it!) as well as locally-​printed tees, hats and ware that I really enjoyed. I think their pricing overall is really swell, and I could’ve bought the whole store on this last visit.
This is a wonderful place to buy gifts for friends, and maybe a few for yourself. My next visit won’t be soon enough.

I dig this hip little store on Magazine. I noticed their tshirts and stickers before I even knew who or what they meant. Reminiscent to that of Shepard Fairey and his own Obey symbol. I like that. One of a kind items. I’ve picked up groovy tees for friends, stickers to trade across the globe, postcards with witty sayings stuck around my abode and a super cool Brent Pafford ceramic pitcher.
It’s not a big box glossy store, so you’ll have to seek it out. It can be easy to miss. I’ve got it down now, but the first time I drove around it a few times.
Go. Seek. Look. and if you feel the urge… pick up a little something.

I have ordered t-​shirts from Defend New Orleans before, so it was a treat to finally make it into the shop. Love the style of the store and everything they have to offer.

awesome shop, great customer service!

Thank you for 90% of my upper body wear and 100% of the stickers that adorn my fridge. Also Defend is 90% of the gifts I buy for my friends on their birthdays too. Haha! If that’s not a great endorsement then I don’t know what! ;)

Defend New Orleans is a fantastic local organization. They not only sell wonderfully designed merchandise, but also donate about 20% of their profits to local arts/​culture organizations in the city. I ordered a tote and lighter — the lighter was out of stock but they shipped my order right away, wrote a handwritten card explaining the delay, and included some rad stickers. Excellent customer service, great local business. DNO is a hidden gem that I will gladly continue to support!

Don’t blink while walking down Magazine, or you’re likely to miss one of the most interesting yet relevant to my tastes stores I discovered on my trip. While Defend New Orleans doesn’t have a large amount of merchandise, what they have is pretty great. Part t shirt shop, part boutique and part vintage store, it’s all awesome.
The store has a clean, minimalist aesthetic. Granted the store has a small footprint, but I suspect many retailers would try and cram in like 4x the merchandise. I think having less made it easier to browse and notice the unique details of the wares they did have for sale.
The vintage section is small, but the quality is high! I found two suits that I would have loved, if only they were in my size (damn my monkey arms!) I would have snatched them up for a beyond reasonable price.
While all I walked out with was a tshirt (mind you, a frickin awesome tshirt) I was impressed with their other apparel, accessories and etc (candles, books, that type of thing.) I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to return, but if on my next visit to New Orleans I find myself walking by, I’d absolutely pop in.

⁴⁄₅ i think they’ll start receiving more of my monie$
so i was really exciting finding this place yesterday. i’ve been craving/​missing some of my oakland-​community-​city-​based vibe and this place captures a flavor of nola that i’m very interested in. i think their stuff is really cool, and i look forward to the entire community that’s into this too.

Ultra hipster boutique that has nailed it in terms of merchandise (a few used books, a few cool vintage finds, about half a dozen t shirts), look (a bombed out brownstone renovated with lots of sanded surfaces), and attitude (the sales people are vaguely nacroleptic).
All in all, I loved it. They didnt have anything to buy, but I dont think this was the point. This is a boutique that is curating a hipster point of view and obviously building a brand. Love it or hate it, it resonates with a particular shopper.

Shirts are somewhat pricy with very limited sizes. Good designs but I tried 5 different designs before they had it in my size. I promise, there are girls out there who are not 5’2 and 100 pounds, carry bigger sizes.

I really like their concept of design for their clothing. It reminds me a lot of Oaklandish, kind of a local company for locals, but cool people like me can wear it too, cause my mom lives here. Their stuff is edgy and to the point. It fits NOLA. Hopefully they stick around for a while.

Cute shop with great NOLA merch. Finally went in to buy some shirts I’ve been lusting after but walked out with only one because the sales girl was so rude I refused to spend any more time or money there. Sorry I made you work for 5 whole minutes angry shop girl…

The best local clothing shop in New Orleans, period. Whoever came up with this clothing line should be famous… wait, I take that back. Defend New Orleans is one of the best kept secrets in clothing. Beside the usual shirts and sweatshirts with the great DNO logo, they also have pins, patches, flags, note books, underwear, and much more. The shop is just as unique as the clothing line. The store has no address, and its basically just a small room on the corner of Magazine & 1^st, which at one time was probably the living room of a house. The employees know their merch, and using an iPad to cash out your order is quick and efficient.