Merch Aid
A not-for-profit platform that pairs up leading designers with small businesses to create custom merch for them to sell, with 100% of the profits going back to the business owners.
Background
With 1 in 3 NYC small businesses set to never reopen post COVID-19, Merch Aid set out to generate much needed revenue, helping shuttered businesses pay rent and staff wages through merch sales.
Launched in April 2020, we enlisted dozens of leading NYC artists, and designers, from Paula Scher and Timothy Goodman to Debbie Millman and New York Nico with Mom + Pop shops, creating + selling exclusive merchandise for them. Starting in NYC, Merch Aid quickly expanded nationally to LA and Austin.
Drop-Release Schedule
New collabs dropped daily at 5PM, generating massive hype for each release, sending the internet into a frenzy to support each business.
Outpouring of love
Collabs sold out in a matter of hours, with locals taking to instagram and showing their love for their neighborhood spots.
Fans generated an enourmous amount of UGC which helped further drive sales, skyrocketing Merch Aid to the top 5% of all Shopify stores in April.
Black Lives Matter
In response to the murder of George Floyd, Merch Aid released a new collection, with 8 black artists supporting a black-led non-profit.
The collection raised over $150k in just a week raising funds for the Bail Project, Black Lives Matter NY, and The Minnesota Freedom Fund.
Artists:
Tatiana Fazlalizadeh, Temi Coker, Bobby C. Martin Jr., Steven ‘Sweatpants’ Irby, Bria Benjamin, Dani Coke
