Fresh Tees are helping bands stand out with custom merch while supporting grassroots artists along the way
We slowed it down with Fresh Tees to have a bit of a chat about what goes into creating the best merch and how they’re supporting artists like you!
Based out of Marrickville, Fresh Tees are the best in the game when it comes to band merch, and this year, they’ve teamed up with our ‘Needle In The Hay’ comp.
Fresh Tees will be providing custom merch to the winners of our NITH 25’, and that could be you.
Whether you’re on the band or fan side, band tees are a staple of any music fan’s wardrobe, equal parts a wearable piece of art and a small wearable portion of your personality.
The people down at Fresh Tees are keeping it cool with this year’s NITH competition.
So check out our chat with Fresh Tees below and go apply to our NITH competition if you haven’t already.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
SAM: What haven’t we been up to today? Feels like one of those!
Looking forward to trying the quesadilla at Pickled Monkey this arvo.
HAPPY: Tell us a little bit about where you are based, what do you love about it?
SAM: We’re based in Marrickville, equal distance between Batch Brewery and The Bowlo. We love the people. It’s an awesome community to be a part of. Lots of people carving their own paths and lots of new faces in the area breathing in new life.
HAPPY: Fresh Tees has been around for 15 years now—what’s the story behind getting started? How did you end up focusing on custom band merch?
SAM: Fresh started in Junior’s garage. Screens and inks from the :tafe, curing prints in a kitchen oven, and who we are now is the culmination of all of the lessons learned since. Music merch has always been a big part of what we do but now with most of it managed by one company, it is a lot harder for artists to earn a decent cut.
HAPPY: There’s a lot of competition in the merch game, so what makes Fresh Tees stand out when it comes to helping musicians get their gear off the ground?
SAM: There is a lot of competition in the merch game though there isn’t a lot of competition to help grassroots and local artists get something off the ground. What we’ve been looking at is offering artists a bit of a break in the form of better payment terms. A portion up front, and the rest on extended terms.
HAPPY: We all know cash flow can be tough for emerging artists. How does Fresh Tees’ extended payment plan help bands make money without getting stuck in the red?
SAM: It just means that you don’t need to put 100% of the risk up front. Pay half, do your gigs, make new connections, promote yourself, and pay the rest after you’ve sold some stock.
HAPPY: When it comes to merch, it’s more than just printing a logo. Do you help bands with the design or marketing side of things, too?
SAM: How we help here is guidance more than anything, guidance on artwork sizing, colours, what’s going to work, what’s not going to work, how we can keep costs palatable and still produce a great piece of merchandise. All of the artists we’ve worked with come with amazing artwork – bird of a feather flock together, I suppose!
HAPPY: You’re teaming up with Needle In The Hay for 2025—why’d you want to get involved with this competition, and what’s the big appeal for grassroots artists?
SAM: The overall idea of Needle In The Hay is giving artists a hand when they need it most. We saw merch as being an awesome vehicle for this. Something that can build a connection with an audience while also netting the artist some income.
HAPPY: Merch is a great way to build a fanbase. In your opinion, how important is it for a band to nail their merch game early on?
SAM: It’s not as important to nail as it is to start. The whole thing is a proper hustle. If people love your music and want to support you they will wear your merch. If you’re ready to go out and make your own merch, make your own bookings, do your own deals in general, the more ready you’ll be to recognise value when you’re approached by anyone offering a service for a cut of your lifeblood.
HAPPY: For the NITH winners, what kind of merch can they expect, and how will it help them stand out in a scene that’s packed with talent?
SAM: It’ll be a mixture of gear, primarily the staples (and best walking billboards): tees and totes. When so many great bands haven’t given it a go, the difference is literally whether you’ve got some or not!
HAPPY: Trends change fast—what’s hot in band merch right now, and what’s starting to fade away?
SAM: It’s hard to pin a trend on the most eclectic corner of the market but what we’re seeing a lot of is cropping of tees, DIY prints, and custom labels – that’s something that makes a fan go “how cool’s this!”
HAPPY: Looking ahead, where do you see Fresh Tees going in the next few years? Got any exciting plans to keep helping bands level up their merch?
SAM: We’d love for the work we’re doing with artists now to grow organically, to keep adding value at every level, and to help them make their own money.
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
SAM: A good tune.
