A vintage Grateful Dead shirt just sold for $17,640 at Sotheby’s auction. The shirt was released in 1967, making it one of the earliest Grateful Dead tees. It’s officially the most expensive band tee ever, taking the crown from a 1979 Led Zeppelin T-shirt that sold for $10,000 in 2010…
Read MoreAuthor: Sean Norris
Spotify’s Latest Merch Move Is a Win for Artists (and a Bigger Win for Shopify)
Spotify and Shopify already had a few things in common—both are huge names in their respective online niches, both have extremely similar names that make proofreading articles about them a pain. But now, they have another thing in common: They’re working together—and it seems like a win for everyone involved…
Read MoreJosh Allen’s Former High School Sold 4,600 Reissued Hoodies, Raised $100K
A few weeks ago, Firebaugh High School reissued an out-of-print hoodie design after Buffalo Bills fans saw star quarterback Josh Allen, a Firebaugh alum, wearing the hoodie before a game. The hoodies, available for a single week pre-sale, were a smash success, with Firebaugh selling 4,600 hoodies and raising $100,000…
Read MoreOatly’s Latest Apparel Collection Is a Big Step Forward for Sustainable Branded Merch
You might remember Oatly from that weird Super Bowl commercial everybody hated, but the brand wants to be known for more than just oat milk and jingles. It wants to be known as a “sustainability company that happens to make oat milk and merch,” and its latest branded apparel collection is a step toward that goal…
Read More‘Tomato Blood’: Heinz Launches Online Store Featuring Halloween-Themed Ketchup, Costume Kits and More
Heinz just launched “Tomato Blood,” a Halloween-themed ketchup featuring a special label with the horrifying new name. The bottles will be available in grocery stores and at an online store that has several Tomato Blood tie-in items available for purchase, including a costume kit. There’s also a fun social media component…
Read MoreApparel Costs Likely to Rise as Cotton Prices Surge to Highest Level in 10 Years
Adding to the ever-growing list of pandemic-related supply chain headaches, cotton prices on Monday jumped to $1.05 per pound. That’s an 18% increase since Sept. 20 and a 35% increase on the year. It’s also the highest price per pound for cotton since November 2011. A combination of factors is driving these price increases…
Read More2021 Top Distributors: How BAMKO Nearly Doubled Sales While Facing Pandemic ‘Pressure Test’
As part of our 2021 Top Distributors list, we asked some of the top-ranked distributors about how they fared during the first year of the pandemic, their thoughts on the industry, their future plans and more. Here, we talked to Joshua White of BAMKO, the No. 9 company on this year’s list…
Read MoreBalancing Act: Promo Suppliers on Jackets and Outerwear Supply Chain, Buyer Trends
There are two big obstacles standing in the way of jackets and outerwear sales: a changing market still rebounding from the pandemic, and a shaky supply chain that’s making product pricier and harder to find. Let’s take a look at both of those challenges and explore some ways to address them…
Read More2021 Top Distributors: How HALO Branded Solutions Took the No. 1 Spot
As part of our 2021 Top Distributors list, we asked some of the top-ranked distributors about how they fared during the first year of the pandemic, their thoughts on the industry, their future plans and more. Here, we talked to Marc Simon of HALO Branded Solutions, the No. 1 company on this year’s list…
Read More2021 Top Distributors: Stats, Trends and Analysis
For many distributors, the coronavirus pandemic has been a mixed bag of challenges and opportunities, ups and downs. That helped shape our newly combined (and expanded) 2021 Top 75 Distributors list. According to our data, the top 75 print and promotional products distributors totaled $6.79 billion in 2020 sales…
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