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Call it chic or call it cringe: Clothing that bears the name of a city near or far has become a closet staple for many consumers in recent years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Once mostly reserved for impulse purchases from kitschy tourist shops while traveling, now clothing with the name of far-off places is just as likely to be purchased at home. <\/p>\n
Consider the iconic \u201cI love New York\u201d tee, a favored souvenir for nearly 50 years. Gone are the days when you would need to brave the Times Square crowds to get one. You can buy a similar-looking version from Walmart<\/a> for less than $10 or an embroidered crewneck version for $380 from Lingua Franca.<\/p>\n Clothing makers and consumers alike are seemingly indiscriminate about what passes for cool. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n H&M and Zara have hawked generic-looking T-shirts with any number of city names splashed across the chest, while Balenciaga and Alexander Wang have upgraded city skyline Ts with a designer spin and their logos to justify heftier price tags.<\/p>\n Of course, the most logical place to pick up this kind of clothing is while traveling. The global souvenir market, already expanding since 2021, is projected to surge more than 40% from 2024 levels to nearly $20 billion by 2033, according to Straits Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n Among the various generations, millennial and Gen Z travelers are, by far, the most likely to shop for one-of-a-kind souvenirs to remind them of their trip, according to a 2025 global travel trends report<\/a> from American Express.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nOh, the places you\u2019ll go\u2014or not<\/h2>\n