More Than a T-Shirt: Meet Sworn Loyal Tees

If you’ve found your way to Sworn Loyal Tees, we thought it was time to properly introduce ourselves—and tell you a little more about the story behind the shirts.

Sworn Loyal Tees is owned by the two of us, Julianne and Nickola. Before there were graphic tees, vintage pinups, pop-up shops, and late nights building a small business, there were two careers in law enforcement.

Nickola served with the Oakland Police Department in California, and Julianne served with the California Highway Patrol. Neither of us expected those careers to end when they did. Nickola suffered a career-ending back injury during an on-duty incident, and Julianne was diagnosed with work-related breast cancer. Between us, we spent 28 years in law enforcement.

Our careers may have ended unexpectedly, but the part of us that wanted to serve, contribute, and stand for something never did.

How Sworn Loyal Tees Started

The idea began with Nickola.

As the world around us started changing, she imagined a line of shirts featuring bold, 1950s pinup-style women paired with patriotic sayings—designs that could celebrate veterans, law enforcement, American moms, and women who aren’t afraid to stand for what matters to them.

The more we talked about it, the more the idea became about something bigger than a shirt.

We realized that not everyone feels comfortable speaking up. Not everyone wants to stand in front of a crowd, make a speech, or argue a point of view.

But you can wear your voice.

And that became the heart of Sworn Loyal Tees.

Why We Chose the Name Sworn Loyal Tees

Coming up with the name took a while.

We had plenty of ideas, but nothing quite felt right.

Then one day, it clicked.

We had both been sworn law enforcement officers, and although our careers had ended, we were still loyal to the oath we had taken to protect and serve.

Sworn. Loyal.

Those two words said exactly what we wanted this new chapter to stand for.

So why not Sworn Loyal Tees?

The name is a nod to where we came from, the values we still carry with us, and the belief that service doesn’t simply end when a career does.

What “Wear Your Voice” Means to Us

Our tagline, Wear Your Voice, isn’t just something that looks good under a logo.

It’s why we create what we create.

We believe what you wear can say something about who you are, what you value, what makes you laugh, what you’ve lived through, and what you stand for.

Sometimes that voice is patriotic.

Sometimes it’s strong.

Sometimes it’s funny, nostalgic, rebellious, sentimental, or a little cheeky.

And sometimes putting on a shirt that feels completely like you is enough.

Our goal has always been to create designs that give women another way to express themselves—without asking permission and without having to explain themselves.

Why the Vintage Style?

There is something about the women of the 1940s and 1950s that we keep coming back to.

The confidence. The femininity. The attitude. The perfectly styled hair paired with a look that says she probably has something to say.

That vintage pinup aesthetic became part of the visual identity of Sworn Loyal Tees from the beginning, and it still shapes what we create today. We love taking that nostalgic Americana style and pairing it with messages that feel relevant to women now.

The result is a little retro, a little bold, sometimes patriotic, sometimes playful—and very intentionally Sworn Loyal.

What You’ll Find at Sworn Loyal Tees

Our designs were originally inspired by patriotism, public service, veterans, law enforcement, and American moms, but the larger idea has always been about giving women a voice.

Today, that means you’ll find shirts that make a statement, designs that make you smile, pieces inspired by nostalgia and Americana, and styles meant to feel like something more than another basic T-shirt hanging in your closet.

We want you to see one and immediately think:

Yep. That’s me.

A Small Business With a Bigger Purpose

Giving back has been part of Sworn Loyal Tees from the beginning.

Service was a major part of both of our lives long before we started this business, and we knew we wanted that same sense of purpose to carry into whatever we built next.

In 2025 alone, we donated more than $2,000 to organizations including Walk to End Lupus Now, Purdy’s Christmas Blessing Baskets, the Star, Idaho Backpack Brigade, the Star Food Bank, The Empowerment Project, and the Northern California Concerns of Police Survivors Annual Ball, among others.

We’re proud of that—not because we’re a huge company with a giant charitable budget, but because we’re not.

We’re a small business.

We give where we can, when we can, because supporting our community isn’t something we’re waiting to do someday. It’s something we wanted woven into Sworn Loyal Tees from the start, and it remains part of who we are today.

This Is Just the Beginning

Sworn Loyal Tees began during a chapter of our lives neither of us had planned for.

What started as an idea for vintage-inspired T-shirts became a way to create again, serve in a different way, support causes that matter to us, and build something of our own.

We’re still growing. We’re still learning. And we’re incredibly excited about where this little business can go.

If you’re new here, welcome.

And if you’ve already purchased a shirt, shared one of our posts, stopped by to see us at an event, told a friend about us, or simply cheered us on from the sidelines—thank you.

You are helping two women build a second chapter we never expected.

And we hope that somewhere along the way, we help you Wear Your Voice, too.

— Julianne & Nickola
Sworn Loyal Tees