01 / Product
Product development
We turn your artwork, ideas, and brand language into products people actually want to wear.
You create.
We run the merch.
Merch Lab builds and operates the entire merchandise business behind your name — products, storefront, production, fulfillment, and customer support. You never touch a box.
No inventoryZero units upfront
Done for youSetup through launch
Your brandYou own the store
Full supportOrder to doorstep
What we handle
Six jobs.
None of them yours.
A merch business is an operation, not a product drop. Here's the part we take off your plate — permanently.
02 / Storefront
Store setup
Storefront, product pages, domain, payments, and integrations — configured, tested, and launched.
03 / Press
Production
Printing and manufacturing through vetted partners, with sample checks before anything goes live.
04 / Pack & ship
Fulfillment
Every order is produced, packed, and shipped straight to your customer. No garage, no boxes, no post office.
05 / Inbox
Customer support
Sizing questions, lost packages, replacements, and refunds — answered in your brand's voice.
06 / Upkeep
Store management
Ongoing backend maintenance so the store keeps selling while you're on tour, on set, or offline.
Who we help
You already have
the audience.
If people follow your name, they'll buy something that carries it. We build the thing they buy.
Sound
Musicians & bands
Turn releases, tours, and lyrics into merch fans wear to the next show — and a revenue line that doesn't depend on streaming payouts.
Audience
Content creators
Give your community a way to support you that isn't a tip jar. Products that feel native to your channel, not slapped with a logo.
Work
Artists & designers
Move your work off the screen and onto apparel, prints, canvases, totes, and drinkware — without becoming a print shop.
Proof of work
We didn't learn this
on someone else's brand.
Merch Lab is run by the team behind Unbounded Winners — a Chicago apparel brand we launched in 2024 and still operate today.
We designed the products. We built the storefront. We sourced production, approved the samples, shipped the orders, and answered the customer emails when a package went missing. Every system we run for you, we run for ourselves first.
That brand was built on one standard — never settle for less — and it found an audience because the product and the message matched. That's the bar we hold when we build yours: merch that reads like it came from you, backed by an operation that doesn't break when volume shows up.
Built in-house.
Proven in market.
Case fileUW / 2024
- Brand
- Unbounded Winners
- Founded
- 2024
- Base
- Chicago, IL
- Category
- Apparel / hoodies
- Storefront
- Shopify
- Model
- Direct to customer
- Run by
- Merch Lab team
The run sheet
Idea to orders,
in four moves.
A real sequence, in order. You're involved in step one and step four.
01
You create
You keep making the music, the content, the work, and the audience.
02
We build
Products, designs, storefront, integrations, and the backend behind it.
03
We fulfill
Production partners make it, pack it, and ship it to every customer.
04
You grow
You promote. We keep the operation running and the store healthy.
Partnership plans
Choose how hands-on
you want to be.
We can build your merch business and hand it over, keep the backend healthy, or operate the entire department for you.
Merch Launch
We build it. You operate it.
$2,500 setupOne-time investment
- Merch strategy & initial product collection
- Custom storefront & product pages
- Production and fulfillment integration
- Payments, shipping, policies & testing
- Store management guide & training
- 30 days of technical launch support
Merch Operations
We build it. We keep it running.
$3,500 upfrontThen $1,500 / month
- Everything included in Merch Launch
- First 30 days of post-launch operations included
- Routine storefront maintenance
- Client-provided product & design uploads
- Fulfillment monitoring & issue assistance
- Ongoing backend technical support
Merch Managed
You promote it. We operate it.
$5,000 upfrontThen $3,000 / month
- Everything included in Merch Operations
- First 30 days of post-launch management included
- Product research & collection planning
- Original design and mockup support
- Full customer, return & replacement support
- Supplier management & monthly reporting
For Operations and Managed, the upfront payment includes setup and the first 30 days of service after launch. Monthly billing begins on day 31 after launch. Product upload, design, and support scope are agreed before work begins. Ongoing plans begin with a 90-day initial service period. Production, samples, refunds, platform subscriptions, paid advertising, and other third-party costs are separate. Ongoing plan availability is based on current client capacity.
Questions
Straight answers.
Do I need to buy inventory upfront?
No. Merch Lab is built around print-on-demand and connected fulfillment partners, so most products can be produced after the customer places an order.
Is it only clothing?
No. Depending on your brand, we can build product lines around apparel, tote bags, mugs, posters, art prints, canvases, drinkware, accessories, and other compatible merchandise.
Who owns the store and the money?
Your brand should own its storefront, payment accounts, and customer revenue. Merch Lab operates the backend with agreed access and is paid according to your partnership structure.
Do you run paid ads?
The core service is focused on creating and operating the merch business itself. Growth, paid media, and additional marketing services can be scoped separately when appropriate.
I already have a store. Can you take it over?
That works too. We can evaluate your existing setup and help improve the product, supplier, fulfillment, and operational side instead of rebuilding everything from scratch.
How long until I'm selling?
It depends on how ready your artwork and product direction are. On the call we'll walk your specific situation and give you a real timeline — not a stock number.
Bring the audience.
We'll bring the rest.
Tell us about your brand and what you want to make. Thirty minutes, no pitch deck.
Book a 30-min call →