50 Surprisingly Creative Merch Ideas + Examples

20 min read

If you’re an influencer, musician, or entrepreneur and aren’t selling your own merch, you’re missing out.

Merch can help you strengthen connections with your audience, promote your brand, channel, or community, and generate extra income.

To succeed, you must choose merch products that resonate with your shoppers. The first step? Knowing your options.

In this guide, we’ve compiled the most popular merch ideas, so you’re sure to find something that catches your eye.

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1. Cool merch ideas

Merch wasn’t always cool. It took time for brands to understand that they could do more than just place their names or logos on products. Today’s merch is personalized and of higher quality, giving users items they’re proud to own and use.

Thanks to the rise of ecommerce and print-on-demand dropshipping, it’s become easier than ever to start an online merch store with minimal investment and reach your audience anywhere in the world.

With print-on-demand, each item is printed and shipped to the customer only after they place an order—no need to keep inventory or worry about unsold stock. Plus, you get to try different products and designs without losing money!

Let’s look at some cool merch ideas to help you to start selling merch.

Hoodies

Since 2020, athleisure has become a full-blown trend, and hoodies are more popular than ever. With the right design, they can help establish a connection with your target audience.

Valuable read: The Ultimate Hoodie Design & Logo Placement Guide

Check out the black-owned athleisure brand Actively Black. In collaboration with Marvel Studios, they launched a whole Wakanda Forever-themed clothing collection. Of course, hoodies were one of the stars of their campaign.

marvel merch example

Source: News Onyx

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Sweatshirts

Just like hoodies, sweatshirts are everywhere. You can wear them to work, exercise, or party and use them to promote your projects.

The one and only Sir Paul McCartney—you know, from the Beatles—launched an exclusive sweatshirt to promote his Got Back tour on his website.

Band merch can be a great way of bringing your fans together and raising funds for your band’s tour. More on that later.

music merch

Source: Paul McCartney’s official website

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Premium t-shirts

T-shirt printing is definitely one of the most popular merch ideas out there. But your merch needs to match the quality of your work. That’s why we suggest you sell premium t-shirts with high-quality designs. Depending on your aesthetic, they can be elaborate and colorful or simple and chic.

The toy brand Mattel launched Barbie shirts for the doll’s fans around the world. Note that the design is just the Barbie logo, but the look and color choice are on point.

Source: Mattel Creations

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Childhood memories and pop culture references can inspire you to generate profitable merch ideas. Just remember to always respect copyrighted work.

Valuable read: Can I Print That? Copyright and Trademark 101.

There are more t-shirt design ideas throughout this article.

Beanies

Merch ideas may vary according to your selling region and different seasons. During winter, beanies make great canvases for your art.

Plus, beanies are the perfect merch item for embroidered designs. Just take a look at this example from the musician Wobblebot.

Source: @thewobblebot

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Caps

If beanies are a hit in the winter, caps are popular year-round. Show off your project’s name or logo, a quote, or surprise your fans with a signature catchphrase—just like the activist group GRL PWR did.

Source: @grlpwrfeminists

Pro tip—experiment with different caps models:

Valuable read: Jump on the Dad Caps Trend: Best Dad Hats to Sell

Mugs

Beloved and useful, custom mugs are a top merch idea for selling online. Make them your own by adding original artwork or fun and motivational quotes.

enamel mug merch example

Source: MonsieurDorian

Custom mugs can work especially well if your niche is related to office supplies, home decor, or gaming.

Product suggestions:

Valuable read: 37 Mug Design Ideas to Sell and Gift

Want to give designing a try? Check out Printful’s Design Maker.

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Tote bags

Initially, tote bags became popular as substitutes for plastic bags. Now, they’re part of most wardrobes for just about any occasion.

Women Who Code, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower women in tech, found tote bags to be an excellent way to spread awareness. Additionally, they also bring in revenue to support the organization.

Source: Women Who Code

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Valuable read: Tote-ally Awesome Tote Bag Design Ideas

Phone cases

More than just protection, phone cases are a form of self-expression. Do you know anyone who doesn’t have one? It’s a must-try merch idea if your brand is related to fashion or tech.

Play around with colors, patterns, and photos to create impossible-to-ignore phone cases that protect and promote at the same time.

Source: Printful

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Valuable read: How to Design a Custom Phone Case

Earphone cases

Want an even more original merch idea? Try earphone cases. They’re just as easy to customize and may be just what you’re looking for to make your merch store stand out.

Source: Printful

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2. Creative merch ideas

While t-shirts and coffee mugs are undoubtedly popular, there are many other creative merch ideas that you might not have considered. Plus, depending on your niche, you might discover something that suits you just perfectly.

Embroidered sweatshirts

As we’ve said, sweatshirts are found in most wardrobes these days. Embroidery is a way to give them a premium look.

Take this “I need a nap” sweatshirt as an example. Doesn’t it give off a higher-quality vibe with the embroidered design?

Source: The Drop by Stylist

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Bomber jackets

Bomber jackets are another premium item to add to your merch collection. With Printful, you can customize the chest, sleeves, and back with your brand logo or design. You could also apply a creative pattern to the whole thing and make an exclusive all-over-print garment that shows off your brand.

Source: Printful

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Shorts

They’re fun and comfortable, and you probably didn’t consider them for your merch until now. Shorts are a unique item that’ll surprise your customers when they browse your catalog.

Here’s some inspiration directly from Coca-Cola:

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Leggings

Leggings have crossed over from gym attire to everyday wardrobes. Plus, they’re fun to customize with bright patterns.

Take a page from musician Kaylie Caswell’s book and help your customers make a statement using this ultra-comfortable gear.

Source: @kayliecaswell

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Socks

When the weather gets colder—and we get older—receiving socks as a gift doesn’t seem so bad, especially if they have a fun, creative design. Being a foodie myself, I’ve been crazy about these sushi socks since I saw them on Amazon for the first time. They’re also a top-notch inspiration for quirky custom merch.

Source: Food Beast

Product suggestions:

Create and sell custom merch

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Duffle bags

Duffle bags may not sound so creative at first, but think again. How about adding a fun design and making them part of a sportswear set? Plus, they’re a super practical merch item—you can use them for exercise, travel, and beyond.

Source: Printful

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Sports Bras

Speaking of matching items, sports bras work great as part of athleisure sets. This piece is a must-have item for anyone who wants an active-yet-comfortable lifestyle like Robi Lami.

Source: Instagram @roby_lami_singer

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Fanny packs

If there’s one accessory that knows how to make a comeback, it’s the fanny pack.

After being forgotten for a time, they’ve resurfaced as a trendy fashion staple.

Get inspired by these vivid gems by Katie Kortman. The season 19 designer on Bravo’s Project Runway has her own online store and turns her creative ideas into colorful, maximalist merch items.

fanny packs merch

Source: Pinterest

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All-Over Print Fanny Pack

3. Band merch ideas

If you’re in the music business and still don’t offer merch for your fans, you’re missing out. Band merch is a way of helping your fans express their admiration for your work and promoting an upcoming album, tour dates, or even financing a new project.

Designs can include your logo, music lyrics, your album cover, or the band’s photo. You can sell custom merch on your website, in record stores, or at gigs.

Check out these band merch ideas for inspiration!

Caps

Caps can dance to any rhythm and make a great addition to your band merch store.

Latin rapper and singer Bad Bunny created a strong visual identity for his Un Verano Sin Ti album, which generated many fun merch items for his fan base around the globe.

Here’s one of the caps from his collection.

Source: Bad Bunny Store

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