about

Made by New Yorkers for the people that love it.

Empire Statements started as an idea in Brooklyn during a stretch when everything felt a little sideways. Schools closed, work shifted, and a lot of us were trying to figure out what staying here actually looked like long term. Out of that mess came a simple idea: if we’re going to pay New York rent, the things we wear should feel like they’re actually from here.

The brand grew out of teaching, tech, and a lifetime of watching this city change block by block. Our founder is a Brooklyn native and educator who cares as much about the people of New York as her favorite bagel shop (Bagel Pub btw, get the ABC on a roll). The designs pull from the small stuff that makes the city feel like itself—thank‑you bags, bacon‑egg‑and‑cheese orders, subway language, corner‑store signs, neighborhood in‑jokes.

We make shirts, totes, candles, and other everyday pieces that sound like the city you live in, not a sitcom version. The goal is simple: when you look at the designs it should feel like part of something you’ve seen taped to a deli counter, painted on the subway, or crumpled in the bottom of a bodega bag at 1am. That energy, the grit and glamour, that distinct "I am here and here is home and I can do ANYTHING".

Part of every order goes to organizations working with immigrants and asylum seekers in New York. This city doesn’t exist without people who came from somewhere else. Sending money that way isn’t just a morale choice, it's an investment in our beautiful cities future.

If you’ve ever argued about the best chopped cheese, missed your stop because you were reading, or promised you were finally moving out of the city and then didn’t, you’re who this is for.

Thanks for being here.