Introducing Mix-and-Match Apparel

Once upon a time, all the apparel designs in the KYBI shop were fully customizable; this was back in the day when I was still making tees with my cricut and painstakingly weeding each design by hand.

I’ve since learned new (and more efficient / higher quality) methods of creating my apparel (aka: screen printing), and it’s the way I’ve been doing things for about two years. However, once I adopted these methods, the option for customizable apparel went out the window – it just didn’t make sense to offer it anymore.

I’ll never go back to the land of “can I get [x] design on [x] piece of apparel,” but I am feeling very excited to introduce a new option for you this year: mix-and-match designs!

One of the unique facets of screen printing is that the base item you’re printing on, whether it be a tank, t-shirt, sweater, or hoodie, can change with little-to-no extra effort. It’s one of the many perks of me doing my own printing versus outsourcing it. Many print shops require a minimum quantity per base item, whereas I can switch things out to my heart’s content.

With that said, this switch-a-roo aspect is something I’ve never really taken advantage of. So far, I’ve been offering my designs on single apparel items, and when someone emails me to ask “can I get this on a [shirt/sweater/hoodie] instead?” the answer is always no. (And I’ll be honest, it always breaks my people-pleasing heart!)

All that changes this year! Well, sort of… keep reading. 🙂

This year, I’ll be introducing mix-and-match items into the shop. Instead of me picking a design then picking the apparel base it goes on, the second step will be left up to you! (YAYYYY.)

The exact date will vary, but each month, I’ll list a handful of mix-and-match apparel designs in the shop. Nothing about the design itself can be changed by customers, but you’ll have control over the apparel base that it gets printed on.

For example: if “I’ll Unpack This In Therapy” was a mix-and-match design this month, then one person could order it on a tee shirt, and the next could get it on a hoodie. Sound fun? I thought so too!!

Of course, this approach won’t be without its limitations. Because adding customization into the mix always makes things a bit more complicated on my end, there are a few caveats to note:

1. Most importantly, you won’t be able to get your desired design on anyyyy type of apparel; each design will have a set amount of base options you can choose from. Sometimes there will be multiple colors offered as well, but not always.
2. Similarly, you won’t be able to mix-and-match anyyyy design from the shop; there will just be a handful of mix-and-match options each month. Otherwise, things would get really confusing on my end!
3. Since these items will be printed-to-order, they will always have an extended processing time of 5-10 business days (1-2 weeks). This is because – in an effort to stay efficient with my time – I’ll only be having printing days for mix-and-match items a few times a month (once a week at most). While I love being able to ship most orders out in 1-2 days, giving KYBI shoppers extra control over the apparel requires a bit more cushion on my end.
4. Lastly, designs won’t be mix-and-match forever. In most cases, the mix-and-match items will be available until the first of the following month, and after that point, it may disappear from the shop forever, or I may make the best-selling variant a permanent item in the shop. It will ultimately depend on how well it sells as a mix-and-match!

I am truly so excited to offer this as an option to you, and I hope you’re excited too! The first mix-and-match designs will go live with the bloom launch this Monday, February 13th. Since it’s a trial run, there will only be 2 mix-and-match designs available, and they’ll be available for purchase until the end of the day on March 1.

So whatcha think? Are you excited about this new approach to apparel? Drop your thoughts (or questions) down below!