Celebrity merchandise is beyond sub-par and has been for a long time. A considerable part of the problem is a lack of creativity and craftsmanship. Most of the artist merch I’ve seen keeps it simple: a graphic design printed onto a shirt, hoodie, sweatpants, etc. While these pieces are highly wearable in America’s current fashion culture – we’re enthralled with street and loungewear – artist merchandise feels very samey. There is definitely room to expand beyond band t-shirts and hoodies babe.
No disrespect to graphic designers and the work they do. I don’t want to stop their bag, but these celebs and their teams could do more. So many emerging, independent fashion designers would love to be commissioned to create garments representing an artist, their music, and their fanbase. Creating more versatile pieces that have a more discernible identity would play to the benefit of both the musical artist and their fanbase.
Having merch that offers something in the way of design and/or construction helps to diversify consumer interest. No, I’m not saying that artists should start making seasonal collections. I am saying that plastering a name, likeness, or song lyric across the front of a t-shirt variably limits consumer interest. And sure, only some people are the targeted consumer. But in a world where artists’ branding and merchandise sales make a sizeable difference in their income, it’d be in their best interest to entice as many people as possible.
But even if an artist wants to keep their focus on the established fanbase, showing some design ingenuity would be in their favor. Creating merchandise that gives the fanbase a fashion identity is beneficial because it will create a mini subculture around the artist. Clothing is a form of communication and has been used as a form of identification for centuries. The way someone dresses and accessories can be used to confirm commonality in interests, political views, heritage, and more!
Having an almost uniform for the fanbase – see the adopted dress code of Harry Styles fans, curated by them without merch – incites unity and is just plain fun. Harry Styles’ fans are particularly special because modern-day pop musicians don’t usually have fanbases with this such a cohesive fashion identity. Genres like rock, alternative, and house generally have definable fashion identities. But their fanbases are often more centralized with more overlapping interests, world viewpoints, and ethics.
I had no intention of delving into fanbase fashion identities with this post, but now my interest is piqued! If you’re interested in hearing more about the topic, let me know, and I’ll get to researching.
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