After working in the public school system for over a decade, I knew exactly what shirts were available to staff. And listen — it was rough out there. Not cute, not trendy, and definitely not something I'd willingly put on more than once without a coupon code and a prayer.
One year a few of us went on the hunt for something we'd actually want to wear again and again. Here's the thing about a teacher's budget though — buy enough glue sticks and you're suddenly choosing between a new shirt and copy paper. We tried department stores. We tried the "teacher specialty" shops. We ordered online and crossed our fingers. Heck, I even broke out my Cricut one desperate evening and we DIY'd our own. It's not that what was out there was bad, exactly — it just felt like nobody who made it had ever actually been a teacher. Like someone grabbed a generic template, slapped "teacher squad" on it, and called it a day.
We really weren't asking for much. Comfort. A little fashion. Something the kids would actually love looking at, and something I'd be proud to wear — more than once, ideally without doing laundry every single night.
So that's where Smile School Collection started. Every design is made by me — someone who's sat in those same staff lounges, graded papers way past bedtime, and definitely spent her own money on school supplies more times than she'll ever admit on a tax return. You give absolutely everything to a classroom that isn't even yours. This is one small thing that's actually yours.
I still wear these shirts on repeat, by the way — not just because I made them (okay, partly because I made them). Over 100,000 sold worldwide and counting, to veteran teachers who've seen it all, to brand-new teachers counting down to day one, to friend groups who treat "dress up day" as a personality trait. We've shipped to solo shoppers, to besties, to the one teacher secretly coordinating her whole team behind everyone's back, and — yes — to entire schools at once. Those photos? Still my favorite part of the job.
Designed by teachers, for teachers. Made-to-order, just for you. Welcome to the squad. 🍎