Dan Rugh and his team just printed a new chapter in the history of Pittsburgh – literally.

And as locals who bleed the city’s official colors of black and gold, Rugh and the crew at CommonWealth Press couldn’t be more stoked.

This hooded sweatshirt from the CommonWealth Press collection features the official Civic Flag of Pittsburgh.

The apparel decorating company has created the first-ever official branded merchandise collection for the City of Pittsburgh in partnership with the western Pennsylvania town’s government. The line was launched during downtown Fourth of July festivities and was well-received.

“We got a great response – very consistent sales,” says Rugh, the owner of CommonWealth Press. “People had heard about it and came out to see what we were doing and they were into it.”

How did Rugh and his team win the business? What distinguishes the collection? A quick look here.

Winning the Business by Leveraging Local

It doesn’t get much more Pittsburgh than CommonWealth Press.

Rugh and his wife started their business in the basement of the home they lived in on the city’s south side in 2002. They remained an out-of-the-house operation for approximately five years, steadily growing until they opened a small shop and expanding further as time went on.

A hat from the collection. The design takes its cue from the merchant flag of the City of Pittsburgh.

These days, the company has a retail store and a separate headquarters where production occurs. The company proudly employs a locally living union workforce and its core clientele are businesses in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, including the National Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers. Furthermore, Rugh and his team don’t just do design and production work; they handle fulfillment and distribution, too.

When the City of Pittsburgh sent out a request for proposal on what would become the first-ever official merch line, CommonWealth Press responded, emphasizing its deep local roots and robust production/fulfillment capabilities. It was a smart approach that helped seal the deal.

“Being right here in Pittsburgh and being a union shop and able to handle fulfillment – all that added up in our favor,” Rugh explains.

Steel City Iconography

Still, securing the opportunity was just the start.

CommonWealth Press then had to develop a collection worthy of Pittsburgh’s inaugural branded merch line. “Our aim was to create a unified vision of officially licensed designs and products for Pittsburgh in collaboration with the city,” Rugh shares.

The upshot of that partnership, fueled by the creativity and printing execution of CommonWealth Press, is a planned four-phase release of Steel City-themed merch.

This T-shirt design celebrates parks in Pittsburgh. Such green areas are a big deal in the city.

The initial phase, which launched this month, features T-shirts, a hooded sweatshirt, mugs, pint glasses, a structured ball cap, a mini pennant and a sticker. Black and gold dominate the collection. The distinguisher is the designs.

Certain items, such as T-shirts and the hoodie, feature the Pittsburgh civic flag. Other items display a CommonWealth Press variation of the merchant flag of the City of Pittsburgh, which consists, in part, of the crest of the city arms surrounded by a circle of five-pointed stars. “Commercial ships would fly this flag when they did business going up and down the river,” explains Rugh.

Lastly, several shirts celebrate five Pittsburgh parks. The graphic has the names of the parks running in a circle around a central design that includes an oak leaf and the city crest.

“There’s so much green area in Pittsburgh and that’s an important part of the city we wanted to focus on,” says Rugh.

Expanding the Line in Phases

With time, CommonWealth Press plans to grow the merch collection over three more “phases” – all to be informed by different Pittsburgh themes.

For Phase 2, Rugh and his team are mining the archives of the city sign shop for symbols from the past that can form the basis for graphics on apparel and other products. A spirit of local nostalgia is likely to imbue the looks.

For Phase 3, CommonWealth Press intends to incorporate local designers and makers to create what’s described as “future interpretations for the image of our city.” Phase 4 is to be determined.

Available for sale online, the collection is also making its way into some local retail shops, Rugh says. There’s an ambition to expand the number of brick-and-mortar locations that carry the line, he notes.

Interestingly, sales are coming not just from within Pittsburgh and its immediate environs. That could have something to do with the Pittsburgh diaspora – people with personal/familial roots who live elsewhere in the United States but who have a special place in their hearts for the city and want to show that.

For CommonWealth Press, it’s heady stuff.

Shares Rugh: “Once the dust settled a bit, my wife and I looked at each other and were like, ‘We’re doing the official merch for the city. Is this really happening?’ It’s been exciting to be part of.”

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