603 - Brief 01 - Distribution of Tees

For the hand-in I have 10 final tee designs to submit across all projects
- 3 AV8
- 1 Ferguson
- 5 VSP 
- 1 WYS Collab

To most effectively choose the most efficient production method, to decide which would be strongest to use at a supply and demand industry level - I aimed to test as many possible techniques as I could within my time frame. 

- For the WYS collaboration we decided to experiment with distributing to an audience through screen-printing - we could evaluate from this how it was quite a long and problematic process. Therefore...

- Decided that for the rest of my projects I would experiment with the quality of the process 'heat pressing' - for this you print the graphics onto disperse paper and then heat press them onto the tees for a more precise print.
- Found out later how disperse paper doesn't always effectively print onto 100% cotton - only synthetic fabrics that it can merge to. 
- I was worried this could cause problems for me due to the fact I had already chipped in to get a bulk of Heavy Cotton Gildan Unisex T-shirts for the mockups and initial sales (the best quality yet cheapest option on the internet - printed on by brands such as Yeezy and Anti-Social Club, etc)..

- this did give a slightly worn effect but it did look very effective and was much better quality and much more efficient than the screen-print experiments with WYS. However it may not last after a few washes and it does take away from the overall quality so I am evaluating this process as non distribution-ready - would need to use different iron-on heat transfers which can lead to being more expensive.

Here are the final outcomes of the T-Shirts using this process:

 Universal Front Design

Back Design 1 

Back Design 2 

 Back Design 3

The tags definitely allowed me to achieve that extra bit of quality through the production method - tags printed onto a finely stitched satin material.

I out-sourced a textile designer to sew these on for me, which was possibly the most straight-forward and easy collaboration I have ever been part of. 
She discussed with me whether it would look most effective round the bottom hem of the t-shirt, or around the sleeve to compliment the graphics. 

And then used a sewing machine and got them all stitched on within the hour for a very professional final outcome.

- This allowed me to evaluate from my experiments that when distributing t-shirt designs at a commercial level I would make us of an online service/platform to decrease my own labour time and costs, whilst increasing the overall consistency of the production quality, this is when I began research into Ever-press:

Ever-Press


Whilst merchandise has always been important for artists in the music industry, it has become even more so in recent years. With declining music sales, It is not only a way of helping them to generate revenue, but it is also essential for helping to increase their overall brand awareness.

Of course the problem is that it can be a costly affair and if sales are lower than expected, artists can be left with high levels of unsold and perhaps out of date stock. Getting things right where merchandise is concerned is an absolute must.

This is where Everpress comes in! It is an online platform which enables the creative and music community to sell beautiful merchandise with no upfront costs.

Here’s how it works:
Firstly upload a design. There are heaps of useful tips and guidelines on everything from what type of designs work best through to how the numbers of colours you choose can affect the profit you might make per item sold.

Then it’s time to select the garments. Ever-press offers a range of items - from traditional crew neck cotton t-shirts through to zipped up hoodies.

Once that has been done, create a campaign page, make it live for a limited period and then get to work sharing it on all social channels. The aim is to generate as much interest and ultimately pre-orders as possible!

You only need to sell 5 t-shirts for the campaign to be deemed effective. As soon as the campaign ends, Everpress will produce your printed garments in one batch and deliver them directly to the customers and fans.

It’s a win win for both you and your fanbase. Fans will receive quality bespoke merchandise and you will receive all the profits arising from your merchandise sales without having to incur any of the upfront charges and potentially costly financial risks.

It couldn’t be simpler.

As we all know, it is a pretty challenging time at the moment for artists and creatives, therefore any resource which can enable us to generate some much needed revenue is worth supporting. 

A batch of 50 Unisex Heavy-Cotton Glidan T-shirts, with 1 artwork colour on the front and 1 on the back, selling at £20 with 4 campaigns on the websites online marketplace (which you can share anywhere) will earn a minimum of £378.60 if we sell all of them!
- Is definitely the most straight-forward and effective way of getting your merch out there, stress free but profit heavy!