“No kidding, I will wake up, sketch the idea down in the dark, wake up and have to spend a few minutes deciphering the scribbles.” Warren admits that most of his design ideas hit him at 3am. He says, “Now, nine years later, I have basically become the voice of the Michiganerds, and I couldn’t be more proud of that.” The Pop-Culture Spark Warren eventually learned to trust his gut when creating new designs. It was grittier, edgier, and bolder than anything out there, and it was also the most ‘me’ of any of the designs because I am a huge pirate enthusiast.”
“People can tell when something is authentic,” Warren says, “so the big hit was Mirate, a skull and bones design that was opposite of what you expect from Michigan shirts at the time. To his surprise, the “nerdier designs” outsold the other ones 10 to one. The other two were more personal and truer to his character, the Captain Michigan-which offers a shield design in the style of Captain America-and the Mirate (aka Michigan Pirate). Warren started off by designing shirts based on what he thought a Michigan-based T-shirt company was supposed to offer, creating six initial designs with four based on lakes and nature.
In “true Beau Warren fashion: 100 percent, all or nothing,” as Warren explains it, in 2014, he impulsively quit his job (without even running it by his wife) and launched Tee See Tee.Īnd despite some bumps in the road early on, he remained focused on his passion for making T-shirts and putting smiles on people’s faces. It was an itch that I had to scratch, and eventually, I took the leap of faith and went all in,” he says. “But always in the background, I would design T-shirts. His favorite role, however, was designing the stuffed animals that you see in claw machines and in carnival games.
Leading up to the decision to break out on his own, Warren says that he bounced around within the artistic field in several different industries, doing everything from animation to marketing. “That is truly where Tee See Tee was born.” 100 Percent, All or Nothing Before you know it, I was collecting lunch money in exchange for custom printed tees,” Warren says. When I told them I made them, they asked if I could make one for them.
When he wore them to school, he received lots of attention from the other students. Warren started off by painting killer whales, Ninja Turtles, and yin-yangs on the shirts. Not having the funds to support his vision at the time, his mom took him instead to Kmart and bought him some plain shirts, then to the craft store to purchase fabric and paint, and told him to get to creating. In the early 1990s, all Warren wanted was to be like the cool kids, wearing the top name-brand T-shirts like Big Johnson, Hot Tuna, and Ocean Pacific. The Voice (and the Apparel) of the Michiganerds Tee See Tee is home to creative, nerdy NoMi gear.and they’re ready to grow to the next size By Deb Dent | July 1, 2023īeau Warren, owner of Tee See Tee in Traverse City, has been designing T-shirts since he was a kid, and he credits his smart and frugal mom for giving him his start.
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