You’re probably a fan of something, whether that would be comic books, movies, shows, musicians, or anything with loyal fanbases. You have probably shown your love by buying merch, which is always a good way to support.
T-shirts are one of the easiest ways to show what you love. You wear shirts every day so you might as well express your love by having them front and centre. However, depending on what it is, you might end up paying a hefty price for it. If you buy it at a store like Walmart, you probably won’t pay too much. If it’s from somewhere like a band’s official website, you’re going to be paying around $30 sometimes (and this is before shipping). However, this can sometimes be because of licensing fees. Also, buying merch at concerts can be expensive. Because of the insane merch cuts venues try to do. Allegedly, merch cuts started happening when venues booked straight-edge bands. Being alcohol-free is a huge part of straight-edge culture and venues booking them means they will probably not sell as much alcohol at the show. They are still pretty ridiculous. Prog metal band Monuments has started to not sell merch at shows because they were losing more money selling merch than they should have.
The shirt designs can range from just the franchise’s logo to a design that represents the franchise. With just the logo, you make it crystal clear that you like the franchise. However, some people don’t like how plain or straightforward it looks. However, some people like how simple it looks because it’s easier to put it in an outfit. More bombastic designs might be harder because of how wild it looks, whether that would be crazy colours or it stands out a lot. However, if you keep the rest of your outfit basic to some degree, then it might work.
(Sandra Garrelts / Flickr)
Another thing that is popular, mostly in music, is patches. Patches can be applied to jackets or other pieces of clothing which is amazing. You may have seen those battle vests metalheads are known to wear. They will have an abundance of patches on their jackets, representing bands that they love. Usually, it will be a bunch of smaller patches and a big one on the back representing their favourite band or album. This can start becoming expensive depending on how many patches there are. Patches are usually around $5 a piece before taxes and shipping fees.
One of the best ways to support artists is to buy their music physically. They don’t really make any money from streaming so getting their music physically is a way to own their music. There’s at least enough incentive to buy physical media. Sometimes there are bonus tracks you can’t get on streaming services, other times there’s cool artwork that can’t be replicated on a screen. Then there’s having a vinyl version of the album. You can get vinyl in cool colours which otherwise wouldn’t be possible in other formats. I got a vinyl copy of Blind Guardian’s The God Machine last month and the record was in a cool clear marble colour scheme that wouldn’t be possible anywhere else.
(Richard Heaven / Flickr)
Hoodies are also popular with merch. There are significantly fewer designs compared to t-shirts, however, at least the ones that they pick are good enough. Because seasons change throughout the year, people will wish that they can wear the hoodie all year around. While you can wear something underneath that will keep you cool, wearing a hoodie during hot seasons is probably not a good idea. The same goes for jackets. Bomber jackets and trucker jackets are also common as merch. The designs are either just a minimalistic one in a place where it can be seen or the entire thing is centred around the design. Once again, you can’t wear it all year long, otherwise, you’ll look ridiculous in the hot weather. If the design is exclusive to the article of clothing, people who live in hotter climates might feel left out when wanting merch for something they love.
Posters are also pretty common. If you collect enough of them, you can cover up your entire room with them to show how much you are dedicated to the things you like. Sometimes it can get creepy depending on what the design is. My brother once had a Beyonce poster in our room that just stared at us every time we were in there. I even wanted to take it down myself a few times because of how weird I felt. After my brother moved out, I finally took it down and replaced it with a Cowboy Bebop poster. The composition is quite effective, with four characters lined up side by side. The only reason why it’s not hanging on my wall right now is that the frame is falling apart.
(thekirbster / Flickr)
Posters are really only acceptable in a kid’s bedroom, at least that’s what society wants us to think. They also want us to think that wearing cartoon merch is also childish. They don’t want to respect anyone as much with these things because it looks like we haven’t matured. I don’t want this to be true. As someone with adult money, you should be able to live your childhood dream of having a house filled with posters or wearing a Legend of Zelda shirt when you’re not at work. I find it hypocritical when they say this but they end up wearing something with a clothing brand well represented, such as a Gucci t-shirt or a polo shirt from Ralph Lauren. What’s the difference between that and having Bug’s Bunny on your shirt? I would rather have Bug’s Bunny on a shirt because it makes the person look approachable.
Merch is something that will always exist. Franchises need to be represented in other places that aren’t just the media they originated from. People might think it looks tacky, but you should not be caring about what other people think. If there’s a franchise you like, show it to the world.