This past week, rising star Olivia Rodrigo has been under fire by her fans. It seems that the company she partnered with for her merch line has royally messed up and she is taking the heat for it. Many fans, myself included, have been anxiously awaiting their ‘Sour’ merch for the last two months. When it finally came in fans realized it’s nothing like pictured. Shirts are poorly made and don’t match the images, bracelets meant to spell “SOUR” say things like “SUR”, and crop tops are actually the length of a dress. The team has been quick to apologize and resend merch, but that hasn’t stopped the relentless roasting of the situation on both Tik Tok and Twitter.
This situation got me thinking about artist merchandising as a whole and all the highs and lows that come with it. I put together some of my favorites, and least favorite, merch drops to share with you guys.
The best of the best:
Tyler, the Creator
No one does fashion like Tyler does. He excels in it so much that he branched out and started his own line of clothing known as “Golf’. His brand is unique, bright, and some of my favorite clothes have come from it. His music merchandising never fails either, it perfectly captures his music and personality while staying stylish and comfortable.
Taylor Swift
All swifties know that Taylor’s entire production team is a well-oiled machine. Known for coming up with the most amazing concerts and merchandising of any artist in the game. I mean if you are as talented as Ms. Swift is, you have to have the merch to back it up. This specific cardigan is her biggest selling item yet, coming from her hit song ‘Cardigan’. Essentially every die hard Swiftie owns this sweater now.
Miley Cyrus
Her merch is everything you’d expect it to be and more. It’s explicit, cute, and honestly just hilarious. If you are a hard Miley stan, it is a must to have her merch. Honorable mention to the Hannah Montana merch I rocked ages 5-9, she made sure I was styling in recess.
Jaden Smith
His merch has been known for years to be some of the best and most aesthetic merch in the game. It is incredibly unique, colorful, and crazy comfortable. Though it is pretty expensive, it is 100% worth the price. You are bound to turn heads when wearing it. His hoodies alone should get their own shoutout, not only are they cute they are super soft and long-lasting.
Some not so great picks:
Harry Styles
Don’t get me wrong, I adore that man and his music, but his merch is rough… to put it kindly. Fans have been known to roast him for it for years, and honestly, I can’t blame them. His merch looks like something I could buy from a department store. It’s made up of odd colors, poorly photoshopped images pasted on t-shirts, and poor-quality materials. You would think someone who dresses as well as he does would have better options. I hope in the future, or at least for the tour, his team steps it up to give us his signature style.
Kanye West
This one is bound to spark controversy, but I can’t stand Kanye’s merch/clothing lines. I feel they are poor quality and way too expensive for the style you are getting. The streetwear look lacks and ends up looking patched together rather than artsy. Though I am not the biggest Kanye fan and that may influence my opinion, I can never get behind his clothing brand. This has always been a touchy subject with his fans, but I feel like
As a long-time music junkie who has bought her fair share of good (and terrible) merchandise, these were the artists who really stood out to me among the many. Special mentions go out to 5 Seconds of Summer, Coin, and Ariana Grande. They all have amazing merchandising teams as well, but not good enough to make the top of the list. Whose style can you not get enough of?