The Backpack: Issue 50

Ugly Sweater Smackdown! Who's the ugliest?

You might notice our Merch Matrix got a holiday makeover this issue, and that’s because ugly holiday sweaters are hotter than ever, but who’s weavin’ the ugliest? Yellowstone’s rocking a new one for the launch of their new season, perfect for a ride to the train station. San Fran’s Market Street Railway is gloriously decked with halls, but they might be outdone by their sister transport, BART (Bay Area), who has not only sold 6,000 sweaters but they’re even hosting a party called Sweater Fest ‘24! More notables include: KwikTrip (yep, the convenience store) and their alligator(?!) festooned knitwear; Tour de France sleighs 😂 with this bike-driven sleigh; Whataburger earns an ugly win with their Whatasweater; Chick-fil-A’s O Christmas Tree crewneck is an all-over beaut; and check this Jimmy John’s—can you possibly merch any harder with a sweater for your Sammies!? Lastly, give it up to Dunkin’ for gliding past everyone by celebrating cozy season all winter long with this just-stay-at-home PJ set. One more: Little Debbie says, “We don’t have a sweater, but we got an ugly tie you def won’t want!”

White Castle’s new merch 🤌

Harper+Scott launched new merch for White Castle “a merch refresh for true cravers!” Things we love: stocking, ornament, “slider joy beanie,” “Est. 1921” mesh shorts, and this rad “sliders hoodie.”

How important is merch? Ask Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton grew so tired of his own lame merch he decided to take back creative control. “I feel like my merch at my concerts has been embarrassing over the past couple of years, so I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to design some things,’” and he trotted out his own design, an “I Bought This Shirt From Blake Shelton,” shirt. 😜 Ironic merch FTW!

Webinar: Exploring Industry Trends for 2025

2024 was a wild year: the US election, stock market fluctuations, inflation woes, AI, major industry consolidation, tariff concerns, geopolitical tension. Given the volatility and uncertainty, how should business leaders think and plan for the future? Join commonsku’s CEO Catherine Graham and President and Chief Brand Officer Mark Graham, along with Bobby Lehew, for a webinar and a quick look back at a tumultuous 2024, plus, a look ahead at trends that will shape the industry in 2025!

Webinar: Sales Goals for Explosive Growth!

Ready to turbocharge your sales for 2025? Join commonsku duo Bobby Lehew and Erin Burley for a whirlwind session on crushing your 2025 sales goals! Learn to break down your strategy into manageable chunks, see why an imperfect plan is better than no plan, and set realistic goals based on actual, proven actions. Plus, get the scoop on how commonsku's tech can streamline your goal setting — sign up, bring your team, and gear up to make 2025 your most successful year yet!

Ethical Merch for Socially Responsible Clients

What does it really mean to be a socially responsible apparel company? On the skucast, we're diving into this question with Daniel Cardozo, activist CEO of Ethix Merch, who started as their first employee in 2007. Ethix is dedicated to pairing socially responsible organizations with ethically sourced merchandise. Tune in as we explore activism and entrepreneurship in the world of merch.

Make t-shirts from food waste? Check.

TerraTela is “the only company that creates t-shirts made from food waste.” The company makes t-shirts from soybean, seaweed, eucalyptus, corn, and milk. So far, TerraTela is partnering with restaurants for their merch, like this shirt for Oyster Oyster, a Michelin-awarded Washington, D.C. restaurant (which also makes totes with local artist An Made using local flowers and food waste). And we looove their slogan, “wear what you don’t eat.” Check the full story here. And one more foodie link? Honorable mention to Chipotle’s avocado-dyed crewneck.

Is Complex Con the new SXSW? The merch says so.

ComplexCon might just be the up-and-coming cultural event of our time, a festival and exhibition that brings together brands, music, style, pop culture, art, food, and innovation—and they’ve got the merch drops and activations to prove it. Espolon Tequila dropped custom sneaks and a new merch collab with Mexican-American sneaker customizer Dexter the Creator and Puerto Rican urban-alt musician Álvaro Díaz. The hottest brands are making massive debuts there: Nike, Sorayama, Crocs, Puma, Bathing Ape. Just drift down the Complex merch shop and you’ll notice the chaotic designs that are fueling tomorrow’s trends. Our faves? Sago Studio’s Rolling Stones graphic pants, Sago Studio’s crochet hat, Bathing Ape’s + Jeff Hamilton’s wool & leather varsity jacket, Midnight Organic’s fiberglass Side Shell Chair (whoa), and Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama’s skateboard deck. And if you have clients who think tradeshow merch is lame, Jared and his ($1500) merch haul and Ben and his merch haul beg to differ.

🧙‍♀️ Wicked: Just judging by the Crocs, are you team Glinda or team Elphaba? And here’s the best Wicked merch according to Elle. One more: Wicked Marketing Dir calls their media-blast for the movie big enough to be “just short of obnoxious.” (WSJ)

🏔️ The NYT suggests we might just be seeing the tipping point of “merching,” with Musk + Trump: “A Bond Made in Merch.” NYT might have a point: Custom guitars.

💸 Another great explainer on Tariffs.

🏎️ Ooooo people did not like the new Jaguar branding. Our beef: Where’s the merch? They're still reppin' the old merch, what a miss! Meanwhile, Porsche is making Jaguar's wheels spin 🤓 with this amazing merch drop with Aimé Leon Dore.

👊 Curious about the generational difference of opinion on merch? Here's a quote for your next client presentation (NYT), "The popularity of such products is 'amusing to men our age,' Mr. Auboyneau, 72, explained. ‘Merch’ is very new,' he added. “Until now, I had never bought a tee shirt in my life!” His 22-year-old daughter, however, is 'covered in merch.'”

🕯️ Need the beautiful fragrance of a holiday candle? KFC: “we got you.”

😎 Mad props to commonsku customer Canary Marketing for making merch for another A-list celebrity Tom Holland.

🏴‍☠️ Nostalgic for music piracy? Dumbgood releases new Limewire merch.

🎬 How movie merch went bonkers. Lookin’ at you, Heretic blueberry pie candle.

🍿 Anora merch: Two-blocks-long line of fans for Anora merch at this pop-up in LA,  This fan has a great take on why movie merch is a deeper expression of self than music merch. Another fan says, “movie merch mania should go on as long as it can.” Stay jealous!

🤑 The Economist weighs in on top ten economic trends to watch for 2025, the one that might impact our industry the most? You guessed it: “Tariffying prospects.”

🚀 Time for you to finally launch with commonsku? Make 2025 your fastest growth year ever, hop onto our monthly live demo to check out the platform here!