The Backpack: Issue #32

All our best, monthly news in one branded pack.

Friday, March 1

• Vibe Check: Kids of Immigrants Merch

• Top Merch News: From The Bachelor to Generous Coffee

• Trends: Lego’s Rad Merch Survey

• Can't miss content: Taylor Swift’s Merch Needs Your Help

Cool Brand to Watch: Kids of Immigrants

When apparel brand Kids of Immigrants burst onto the scene, the LA Times covered their origin story, calling it a clothing brand that “dedicates itself to things like love, friendship, family, and empowerment in a way that feels almost rebellious in a world that rewards hype.” And now, artists like comedian Hasan Minhaj are turning to Kids for their merch, “Kids of Immigrants supporting other kids of immigrants,” said founder Daniel Buezo. As more and more customers want to know who is making their merch, brands like Kids of Immigrants will continue to rise!

SNL-Designed Jacket Celebrates “St. Patrick’s Eve”

Reed Art Department, the famous NYC agency, dropped a new campaign celebrating “St. Patrick’s Eve” as a way to circumvent the Leap Year from screwing up our lives messin’ up our Paddy’s Day weekend. Along with the campaign, SNL cast members Colin Jost and Michael Che designed a custom Jameson jacket, which really just made us realize how cool the Jameson merch store is.

The Alexei Navalny Merch Shop is Incredible

The tragic death of Alexei Navalny shook the world, and though we know it seems like such a strange news item to land in the backpack, we just have to let you know that very rarely have we seen a merch store like this that so radically reflects one of the most courageous leaders in recent memory. The collection, shaped by his team, has mostly sold out, but we have to give a nod to his crew for creating such a bold experience that offers the world a chance to express their support and love.

From The Bachelor to Coffee, a Chat w/ Ben Higgins

Hello backpackers Bachelor Nation, have we got a treat for you. Ben Higgins, otherwise known as the nicest bachelor to ever grace the hit show, "The Bachelor"  joined us for a skucast. Why, you ask? Well, Ben and his team at Generous Coffee entered the promo industry last year, and thanks to our friend Ellie Bathe, he immediately wanted Generous Coffee to join the commonsku community as his first entry point into the business. 100% of the profits made at Generous Coffee go to support non-profits. Check out our interview with the (truly) likable former bachelor himself, Ben Higgins.

Registration is Open for skucamp!

Join best-selling author Lia Garvin as she helps you learn how to build a high-impact, “Unstoppable Team” and gives you the tools to do it! Tools like rethinking compensation through the lens of motivation over outcome, inspiring buy-in from your sales teams, and the step-by-step checklist to building a thriving team. Join Stephen Shedletzky, author of the book Speak-Up Culture, who teaches you how to amplify your team’s best ideas, be bold with disagreements and feedback, and encourage innovation that creates outsized momentum! And mostly, join us for the best of peer-led learning from the best in the biz, register now while seats are still available!

The City of Boston Demands Merch

As if the merch craze couldn’t get any crazier: Once an enemy of public spending, city officials now demand merch. Why? Money. The NYC licensing program “from NYPD hats to Department of Sanitation trash can pen holders” bring in serious revenue. How much? Get this— an estimated $24 million. TBH: kinda hard to believe. But there are believers! Councilor Sharon Durkan filed an order in the City of Boston to “explore the creation of a citywide licensing program.” The benefits? Not just a revenue opp but also civic pride. LA, Chicago, London, and NYC each have a merch program so, why not Boston? And, BTW backpacker, this is a great news item to send to your city’s decision makers, push them to decide, “Is your city cool enough for merch?”

Lego’s Rad Merch Survey

Kind of a cool idea: Survey your audience for what types of merch product they want and here’s the kicker: add conceptual images. Lego dropped a survey to their customers to ask what future merch they want to see in the collection and it’s pretty rad. “Please score the OG goat plush highly,” writes Jay on Jay’s Brick Blog, a Lego fan site. How about you, backpacker? Are you creating surveys with merch ideas for your clients' shops?

The Best of Merch Mailouts in Fashion

Whether you love or hate fashion shows, you can't sleep on these fashion show invites like this branded toast. Or this Fendi logo pasta. Or Gucci’s papier-mâché mask. Or how about this Balenciaga lost wallet? Fashion shows are known for their outrageous attempts to out-outrageous one other, so why should their invites not be over-the-top? And how about you backpacker? Got an outrageous invitation you created for a client that you want to share? Hit reply and let us know!

👊 If you’re in Canada, you might already know about this controversial protest via merch against Loblaws.

👀 Speaking of Canada, ePOs with alphabroder Canada are live, check it here!

🏎️ Some design inspo for ya: Reiss x Mclaren Formula 1 drop a wild collab

😎 Can one of you merch pros help Taylor Swift with her merch?

🚲 Did you know there’s a national award for being a bicycle friendly biz and our friends at Outdoor Cap received a silver?

🎨 Want a quick tutorial on how to use our high-demand product mock-up tool? We got you!

📺 The ever-eclectic John Vo, in the news!

🌎 Which musician has the most popular merch in India? Australia? Mexico? A company called Merchant Machine, based in the UK, put together a massive map citing the most popular artist merch in every country.

💰 Want to learn how to proactively sell with commonsku's Presentations, Portals, & Shops? Join our very own Marcella De Ocampo to learn all the client-facing tools you need, register here!