What makes merch “good”

From someone who’s made over 60 merch collections

I guess it’s time I formally share that I conceptualize and design merch collections. Some past clients include Form, Dairy Boy, Tezza, The Mayfair Group, Parke and their collaborations with Set Active - more on this at the end of the article. In the last six years I have created over sixty merch drops and collections.¹

I mention all of this to say that I’ve spent so much time thinking about what actually makes for a good merch moment, and what just ends up feeling like clothing noise.

Soooo, how do you make merch that people actually want to wear?

1. Let’s get the easiest one out of the way: no logo slapping. I actually get an unsettled, nauseous feeling in my stomach when I see this happen. I don’t really care what brand you are - slapping a logo on something and calling it merch cheapens the whole experience and feels like a missed opportunity. (This does not apply to iconic a-la-Rhode strategic logo placement btw).

   

   not my designs! I wish though.

2. The collection feels like an extension of the brand - an intentional moment that adds a sprinkle of personality, and that the audience can tangibly connect with. Maybe it uses the brand fonts, but I’d argue: only if you can morph them into something more playful or unexpected.

   

   Parke vday, the drop that rocked the internet.

3. This next one is a bit more nuanced. The crux is: resist the urge to jump on trends. Just because a style is trending and working for the brand that originated it doesn’t mean it will work for anyone else. We are all familiar with the overused Sporty and Rich vibe that became synonymous with the word elevated circa 2019. To be clear, Emily Oberg didn’t invent the vintage country club meets modern serif vibe, but she did reintroduce it in a way that dominated Pinterest. Everything else that followed lacked the same resonance.
   That said, there are exceptions. If a brand can respond to a cultural moment with its own intentional, only we could do it this way spin, it could work. But following trends blindly only increases the risk of adding to the noise.

   

   Worked on this piece for the Tezza x Lello drop while in Italy and Spain for the summer - felt so aligned.

4. I can tell when a merch drop is energetically and creatively aligned. When the right team of collaborators was brought together. There is an intangible quality to it that’s hard to explain other than it has a soul. Everything that takes place before the artwork gets created matters. It’s about intention and relational magic. Basically, the vibes are good. My friend

   Sophie Weill
   introduced me to the idea of using human design to make sure a creative team is energetically balanced for a specific project - there might be something there to explore in the future! 

   

5. Materials matter. They speak volumes to the audience about the intention and care behind a particular drop. Not everyone can afford to make thousands of units with high caliber materials. My advice is - make fewer units. At the end of the day, merch is mostly a marketing tool and the marketing impact lies not necessarily in how many units sell, but in how often people wear them (and how they feel while wearing it).

   

6. Great merch never exists in a vacuum. Think about it, the vintage pieces we are obsessed with represent something much larger. Vintage band tees hold incredible nostalgia and the coolest location-specific pieces tell a geographical story that captures a moment in time. This is still the case. Make sure the merch you create is part of a bigger world. A theme, a movement, a moment in time and space. It’s why Parke’s popup merchandise became instantly recognizable. Why hot dog merch is having its moment. If there is not an event or location, take extra care to craft a solid creative theme. Make it easy for the audience to understand why you are creating this.

   

7. If you are making a collection (not one piece) how do all the pieces interact with each other? From a design standpoint, the same artwork will not work on a hat and sweatpants equally. It feels lazy. Also if the strategy is to have people want to purchase more than one item, help them understand how the pieces fit together. It helps to visualize it all coming together in a linesheet format. Again, merch should be part of a bigger world you are crafting. 
   

8. Lastly, it has a human component or a unique spin. This one is hard to fake. It’s what ultimately separates good merch from, the other kind. There’s something interesting to the eye that non-designers might not be able to name but can still feel. Maybe the colors are unexpected for the creative direction, making it feel fresh (this is something I’ve had to lean on a lot when the moodboard a client puts together contains any Sporty and Rich). Instead of relying on fonts, try hand lettering first. Or make a shape irl then scan it. The possibilities are endless.
   For designers and artists: start with a piece of paper and pencil and ask yourself, prior to looking at any external inspiration, where do you feel this design could go artistically?
   
   If you are not a designer, find someone that takes that question seriously.
   
   Give us something unexpected, something that speaks a different language. Maybe, dare I say, give us some art? And if not, at least something art-adjacent.

The pieces that I am most proud of, the ones that took on a life of their own once out in the world have this in common: they were created from a mix of creative downloads, strong collaborative alignment and a refusal to settle for the expected outcome. 

Parke x SET Pt. 2

A collection I’m excited about that embodies this is Low Tide: a merch line I created for the newest Parke x Set Active collab, launching soon.

P.S. the nautical flag detail spells out PARKE <3

1. I had to count twice to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.