Recently, I’ve made a conscious effort to reconnect with my creativity, and one of the first things I wanted to do was create new merchandise for my YouTube channel. It just so happens that I’m also in the market for new clothes after losing a bunch of weight. So when I sat down to design my merch, I decided that instead of creating typical influencer merch, I’d make something I’d actually wear. I’ve always found content creator merch not exactly something that resonates with me. I know money is tight for a lot of people, and I wanted to design things that would be cute and interesting, even to someone who knew nothing about me. Additionally, I wanted to create things that truly honored who I was and the ideas I promote. So, naturally, when I sat down to sketch some of my first designs, I drew a skull and crossbones.
After my first batch of underwhelming merch and some feedback from Patreon members, I sat down to do this sketch on the back of my patio with a ballpoint pen. The past few years have been a lot of self-reflection for me. Losing my parents has made me somewhat nostalgic. I’ve started to remember the time in my life when I was perhaps the most authentic version of my weirdness. A time when I loved dressing up in a pirate-esc look and had truly started to embrace my alternative style. It sounds really trite, but I used to soothe myself by sketching skulls on paper during class. Yeah, I was one of those kids. Back then, I lived in hoodies and bandanas, and I was pretty obsessed with stripes. In the age of AI, it felt nice to scribble on paper, in such an imperfect but committed medium. I’ve always loved sketching with a ballpoint pen. If you look closely, you’ll see that I only drew half of it and then mirrored it in Photoshop to work on the line art. This era we’re in has made me appreciate my ability and just how much I can do with a simple drawing. After cleaning up the illustration and creating several different colorways, I decided to order my first samples, and I was overjoyed with the results!
The moment I started trying stuff on, I knew that I was ready to release. There were some things we had to change, and I’m still sorting through some of our issues, but in general, I was really happy with the quality of the items I was able to create through Fourthwall. If you’re a content creator looking for a new platform to create your merch, I cannot suggest them enough!!. Every design I’ve released so far is print-on-demand. I design the art, and Fourthwall does all the printing and shipping for me. I wanted to order a bunch of samples to ensure everything in my store felt and looked good. I would say my only main gripe with my items is that all sublimated items (the flares, the hoodies, some of the shirts) have a white background/inside. Meaning that with stretchy material, the white sometimes shows through the designs. It’s a little annoying, but I don’t think it ruins the garments. It does mean that I tend to like the lighter items that are sublimated. I put a lot of white in the design for my red remix hoodie because it helps balance the design out a bit.
Now, I’ve gotta be honest, I’ve developed a bit of a problem. I’ve created so many items…and I want them all. I basically live in my own merch these days!
Right now, I’d say I am pretty obsessed with the flares, the bikinis, and the hoodies. Together, they make a pretty cool tracksuit. I’ve been wondering about creating bundles and selling them as just that! When it comes to the flares, I would say order a size down if you want them to fit snug, order your size if you want the ability to fold over the waistband.
If you purchased something from my store, I am so very thankful for your support. I did not realize how much I’d love making items for both myself and my audience. Frankly, much of this is reminding of how, at one point, I wanted to design clothes and textiles. Occasionally, I have to remind myself that it isn’t too late for me to do that. That I now own so many of the clothes I’ve designed in one way or another is pretty cool. I’ll even be doing a lot of T-shirt DIY with a bunch of my designs on both my blog and my YouTube channel at some point. Here’s the result of a t-shirt I DIY’d.
Previously, I had planned to release a bunch of new merch through Teespring, but I never got around to it. Back then, I planned to release my first “hot and introspective” design, but never got around to it! Now there are several designs in several colorways, along with several other T-shirts at an affordable price point.
While I wanted to add some designs everyone could wear, I also wanted to add some that made a clear political statement. A while back one of my quotes went viral and it felt fitting to pit it on a flag!
You can also see the quote on the back of my flares and in a bunch of other designs!
I also wanted to create merch that made an even clearer political statement. You can see this poster in many of my videos, and there are several designs in the store that share the same graphic.
Maybe it’s because I’m in love, but I love pink more these days. I put a lot of pink, along with other colors, in my store. I didn’t want everything to be just gothic, black, and red. I shift between vampire and fae anyway (can’t wait for the Fairy collection I’m gonna release in fall). Here are some of my favorite, cutest items.
As you can see, I’ve integrated my merch into my wardrobe!
Recently, I also added a bunch of hawaiian shirts to the store that all have some pretty bold and unique designs!
Alexander purchased the very first Hawaiian shirt in my store. He looks very sexy in it.:D
I genuinely love my merch so much, and it’s become a bit of a hyperfixation of mine. I’m going to be doing a photoshoot with my items next week, and I’m pretty pumped! There are 80 of you that have ordered from my store thus far! These are the most popular items.
Blaque Kat Skull Remix Stripped Hoodie
My Politics Red ink Micro-Rib Tank Top
Blaque and Red Kat Skull Bikini
Right now, I have a sale going on in my store to celebrate Pride, along with a new collection of pride themed merch with my design!!
All June, get FREE SHIPPING in my store with the code KATPRIDE! If you get anything from my store, please tag me on instagram!
Huge thanks to everyone who has purchased items from my store thus far. You are giving me a lot of inspiration, and I’m so excited to release new things!