Trend Watch: Fashion Design + Branded Merch

Marketing Trends
Written By Ksenia Denisova

Welcome to our series covering all things trends, and how these trends impact the world of promotional products. Once a month, we’ll deep-dive into a current trend, share examples from the retail space, and inspire you to create beautiful merch for your next project! 

This month, we’ll be talking about designer merchandise – one of the most exciting things happening in the promo world right now. This is a trend that has been on the rise in recent years as consumers seek unique and high-quality products.

The branded merchandise has long been a staple of consumer marketing and trade shows, but the industry has been evolving and is now so much more than a product with a logo. Brands in every industry today are recognizing this shift in customer perception and elevating their branded swag.

The meaning of “brand” itself has evolved beyond the product or service, to ideology, culture, and a sense of belonging. Branded swag is becoming an extension of the personality. Wearing a Google tee, for example, is now a way to signal to others your values and demonstrate belonging to a specific community. 

We invite you to listen to an episode of skucast, where Mark Graham, Bobby Lehew, and Elizabeth Segran from Fast Company discuss the promotional products industry’s impact on culture after her article about cheap swag and the environmental crisis went viral. This conversation is crucial because poorly made promotional products have a negative impact on the environment, whereas the designer “exclusive” “hard-to-get” merch will stay out of the landfill.

Tech companies 

Huge brands like Microsoft follow the designer merch trend by launching the Hardwear campaign designed by LA-based artist Mathieu Gavin. The capsule clothing collection for Microsoft puts the focus on creativity and self-expression rather than the typical tech logo/slogan tees.

Today’s branding efforts go far beyond just the logo and marketing messages displayed on products. Financial technology company “Party Round” focuses on helping founders to automate their fundraising process. They created a designer merch collection called Supreme Startup, that showcases apparel designed to celebrate pioneer startups from the past like Apple, Yahoo, Napster, etc. in collaboration with the already popular apparel brand Supreme. This merch drop is a love letter to all the dreamers out there who dare create something new and amazing and is a source of inspiration for anyone who is out there building their dream company.

Unusual collaborations

One of the best and most surprising campaigns we've seen in 2022 was the UPS apparel and merchandise collection at New York Fashion Week. While their brand's overall look and feel are very traditional, they decided to use this marketing medium to really break the mold.

The collection was inspired by Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) unstoppable spirit and the creativity of Black artists, designers, and musicians. It pays homage to barrier-breaking Black designers and creatives like Virgil Abloh, André Leon Talley, and Olivier Rousteing. Listen to our skucast episode to learn more about this extraordinary campaign.

Similar merch ideas came to two very different companies. TfL (Transport for London) and Challah Dolly (NYC-based bakery) collaborated with designers to create iconic bags for their brands. Their bags remind us that fashion doesn't have to limit itself when displaying your brand message.

Starting with the TfL collab with the fashion designer Kurt Geiger. The footwear and accessories designer has teamed up with TfL to create a range of tube-inspired merch. The simple-yet-effective designs show off the rainbow colors of the tube lines. It's a great example of using everyday items to represent your brand in a way that's fun and engaging.

Another business also experimenting with the designer merch trend is Challah Dolly.

NYC-based Bakery Challah Dolly partnered with New York-based artist Panache on a series of hand-painted vintage bags for the bakery. Each handbag features a unique illustration of challah bread. Like the brand's signature bread, each piece is unique in its own way and represents a one-of-a-kind piece of art.

Movie merch

For Jordan Peele‘s highly anticipated sci-fi horror blockbuster, Nope, Daniel Kaluuya has partnered with fashion designer Jide Osifeso to release a capsule merch collection. Inspired by scenes from the film, the limited out-of-this-world collection features t-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts with thought-provoking graphics that are as stylish as they are dark. 

Another example of innovative and creative uses of branded merch in the market is the acclaimed independent studio, A24. They’ve become infamous for creating unique fan experiences for its movies through branded merch in collaboration with artists, designers, and musicians.

It's a market full of opportunity. For any type of client, whether it's a high-end luxury brand or a small business on a tight budget, the potential to tap into the market of designer-inspired merch is endless. 

Creating a well-designed product that fits naturally into your client's brand will establish brand recognition and build loyalty. Consider incorporating some of these marketing strategies and share your favorite designer merch campaign!

commonsku is software specifically designed for the promotional products industry. It's a CRM, Order Management, and eCommerce platform wrapped up in one sophisticated hub. With software that intuitively connects distributors and suppliers, commonsku is like a breath of fresh air for your team. Learn more at commonsku.com

Ksenia Denisova
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