We weren’t born in boardrooms. We were born in bodegas, on stoops, in packed apartments where the sounds of Hector Lavoe spilled out of the windows just as much as the smells of arroz con gandules. This ain’t just about selling t-shirts it’s about representing. Representing the Bronx. Representing Puerto Ricans. Representing those of us who carry both in our blood like it’s a family heirloom.

Our tees don’t come off a factory line with no soul. They come from our memories. From seeing our Tío in a crisp new button down every summer performing with his salsa band. From spray-painted murals of our heroes. From the feeling of stepping onto the 6 train with a fresh fade and knowing you look right. If you know, you know. And if you don’t well, just get to know.

But here’s the truth: we didn’t always have stuff that reflected us.

For a long time, streetwear overlooked the Bronx, the same borough that gave birth to hip-hop, to graffiti, to breakdancing. They’d print “New York” across their clothes but forget the part of the city that made it cool. Our people, Puerto Ricans, were here when the Bronx was burning. Literally. In the '70s, landlords torched buildings for insurance money, and whole blocks turned to rubble. While the city ignored us, we stayed. We survived. We built.

Puerto Ricans have been part of the Bronx since the '40s. The Great Migration brought thousands of Boricuas from the island to NYC, looking for work, a future, something better. They landed in the South Bronx, turned empty lots into playgrounds, apartment buildings into communities, concrete into canvas.

By the 1950s, we were the heartbeat of the Bronx. But you wouldn’t know it from the racks in most stores. That’s why we started making our own.

Our Bronx t-shirts? They carry stories.

One design might feature the Puerto Rican flag not just because we love it, but because it was banned for decades on the island. Wearing it used to be a revolutionary act. Another tee might have the cross streets where we used to meet up before parties. Or an old-school font that looks like the graffiti tags we practiced in blackbooks as kids.

Everything we drop has a story. A purpose. A little bit of abuela’s house, a little bit of Orchard Beach, a little bit of pride and pain.

This isn’t merch. This is memory.

When you wear our Bronx or Puerto Rico t-shirts, you’re wearing the Bronx on your chest, not the sanitized version they show on TV now, but the real Bronx. The one with chopped cheese and loud block parties. The one that raised you on Salsa and Big Pun. The one that made you tough, smart, and always ready to create something out of nothing.

Because that’s what we do.

We make something out of nothing, just like our parents did. Just like their parents did.

And our brand? Kings Of NY is just proof we’re still here. Still proud. Still reppin’. #KINGSOFNY

Pa’lante. Siempre.

SHOP: Bronx Clothing

SHOP: Puerto Rico Clothing