Best excuse to wear your pride around your neck

The drunken crowds spilling into the streets. The police cars and their blue-light specials. The discarded trash left to litter the morning after. No doubt about it, weekend nights on Edgewood Avenue can look like a godless hot spot. But between the mélange of bars and clubs, GOD IS DOPE is the nightlife district’s newest bright spot. The small boutique with synthetic grass carpeting has been open barely six months. It’s the first brick-and-mortar location for the two-year-old Christianity-based streetwear brand. And it’s hipper than thou. Owner Sharod Simpson started the line of unisex tees, dad hats, snapbacks, hoodies, and denim as a means to express faith through fashion. While the universal message of the main T-shirt slogan (“God is Dope”) makes it appropriate for all faiths, it’s the designs and distressed fabrics that keep it uncommonly cool. The price point is also reasonable, with shirts starting at $19.99. The store is an oasis, with a cool-out vibe that has made it perfect for special events and photo shoots for other local culture brands. With no set hours, its doors typically remain open until about 2 a.m. Plenty of time to catch last call across the street at Church. less...

When ATLiens landed in 1996, few even knew how to pronounce the name of OutKast’s sophomore album. Twenty years later, that alien identity remains synonymous with a generation of Atlantans who translated Southern hip-hop into the universal language of youth culture. The same spirit is embodied by the ATLien TEE. Before designing his signature shirt in 2008, Atlanta streetwear O.G. Omar “Chilly-O” Mitchell got Big Boi to bless it. Then, instead of whoring it out, he kept it exclusive by printing limited editions of the lowercase script in ever-evolving colorways. Just as ATLiens has come to transcend OutKast as a cultural identifier, Chilly-O’s shirt continues to convey what it means to be a resident alien in the last black mecca. It’s a declaration that different is inherently better. More than a geographical location, ATLien represents creative rebellion, originality, and a tribal sense of belonging for those on the fringes. As the city celebrates the anniversary of one of OutKast’s landmark LPs, you’re more likely to find Chilly-O selling his tees in the streets than in some upscale sneaker boutique. It’s worked wonders for brand equity. For the right price, he might even be willing to sell you the shirt off his back. www.instagram.com/chillyolovesyou. less...

The average tie clip is typically seen in passing. We notice its presence, but hardly marvel in the beauty of its construction. The personalized ATL skinny tie bar might just make us forget the tie was even there. Hand-crafted by locally based silversmiths Block and Hammer, the A-T-L-engraved piece jumps out at you without being a distraction. Add it to the ensemble for $18.99 and expect the compliments to flow. www.blockandhammer.etsy.com. less...