SECTION 21 apparel co.
Midwest-pride graphic tees, hoodies, and flour sack towels from a 4-farm-family-owned print shop in the Northwest corner of Minnesota. Lefse references. Ope you betcha. Minnesota Nice. Small-town voice in cotton.
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Four families. Print-shop precision, Midwest voice.
Lefse, Ope, Minnesota Nice.
Section 21's catalog reads like a transcription of a small-town northern Minnesota dinner conversation. Lefse references (the Norwegian flatbread that's a Minnesota holiday staple). 'Ope, you betcha, oh for sure, welp' (the regional verbal tic). 'Always Stay Minnesota Nice' (the regional politeness ethic). 'Good Curling' (the winter sport northern MN has the country's highest club-density of). Local-vocabulary made wearable.
Shop graphic tees →Signature pieces
The most-asked-for from each category. Print-on-Bella, print-on-Gildan, print-on-flour-sack-cotton.
Owner-operated by neighbors.
The brand was founded in 2018 by four local farm families in Minnesota's Kittson County — population ~4,200, town of Kennedy ~190. The 'Section 21' name comes from the Public Land Survey System township-grid notation (each township is a 6×6 grid of one-square-mile sections), which is still how Midwestern farmers identify their land.
The print shop runs out of the Kennedy facility — design, screen-printing, DTG, packing, and shipping all on-site. The brand has chosen not to spotlight individual founder names; the framing is community business, not personality-driven label.
Read the brand's full statement on section21apparel.com →Frequently asked
Sourced from Section 21's published pages + Curated Sense customer questions through April 2026.
Where exactly is Section 21 located?
The brand publishes only that it's in 'the Northwest corner of Minnesota.' Public records and social media place the operation in Kennedy, MN — a town of ~190 people in Kittson County, near the North Dakota border and ~30 miles south of the Canadian border. The 'Section 21' name is a township-grid reference (Public Land Survey System sections), which is how Midwesterners actually identify rural land.
Who are the '4 farm families' behind the brand?
Section 21 is owned and operated by four local farm families in the Kittson County area. The brand has chosen not to publicly attribute individual founders by name, framing the operation as a community business rather than a personality-driven label. Day-to-day operations include print production, design, and shipping out of the Kennedy facility.
Are the products printed in Minnesota?
Yes — Section 21 is primarily a screen-printing and DTG (direct-to-garment) print shop. The blank garments are sourced from major US apparel suppliers (Bella+Canvas, Gildan, Comfort Colors are visible on most product pages). The graphic designs are created in-house and printed on-site in Kennedy. The flour sack towels are screen-printed on cotton blanks.
Why do so many products reference Lefse, Ope, Curling, and Minnesota Nice?
These are specific cultural markers of Norwegian-Minnesotan and broader Midwestern identity. Lefse is a soft Norwegian flatbread that's a staple of Minnesota holidays. Ope (and the longer 'Ope, you betcha, oh for sure, welp') is the regional verbal tic for politely-getting-out-of-the-way. Curling is the winter sport; northern Minnesota has the country's highest curling-club density. Minnesota Nice is the regional politeness ethic. The brand's voice is unapologetically local.
What's the size range?
Standard adult men's and women's apparel sizing — most pieces run S to 3XL. Bella+Canvas blanks have a slightly more fitted cut; Gildan blanks are more relaxed. Each product page lists the specific blank style and size chart. Hoodies and crewnecks tend to size true; tees occasionally need to be sized up by half if you prefer a relaxed fit.
Does Section 21 do custom orders or wholesale?
Yes — custom team apparel, school spirit wear (Bearcat Fanwear, Pony Team Gear, Kittson Central Staff Apparel are visible on the brand's site), and small-business promo printing. Wholesale to other Midwestern boutiques is via Faire and direct contact through section21apparel.com. The Curated Sense edit is the brand's standard catalog.