Creator Studio, the on-demand global printing service, is a great way to make merchandising more cost-effective and efficient.
Creator Studio is a part of H&M Group and was launched in late 2021. Creator Studio is a platform that offers an end-toend solution to merchandise printing and fulfillment for creators, artist, labels and licensees. We take care of our customers’ merchandise from fibre to end-consumer and once integrated with a creator’s ecommerce, the platform handles everything from sourcing to printing to global last-mile delivery – meaning users can create and sell bespoke items with minimal fuss.
Buying in bulk is a risky business. Printing on demand reduces the likelihood of an overproduction. The garments we sell are 100% organic or made of recycled polyester. Water-based screen printing inks, which are more environmentally friendly than traditional inks, are also used.
When did the idea of Creator Studio come to you?
Merch became fashion, fashion has become culture. The H&M Group sees massive potential to expand into the merch space as print-on-demand and direct-to-garment printing is a relatively young but fast-evolving industry. The global merch sector is valued at 350 billion pounds per annum, but less than one percent of this is printed on demand.
The technology for digital printing is advancing rapidly and, by combining the latest tech with H&M Group’s 75 years of fashion expertise, we see that we can create on demand merch with all its benefits without compromising on quality and global consistency and challenge the traditional merch industry.
Creator Studio is unique in that it offers a fully integrated technology solution. We also work with an extensive network of print hubs around the world and we have our dedicated True Blanks clothing line that’s optimised for digital prints.
What has changed in the past two years for the company?
We are effectively a startup within the H&M Group and in the last two and a half years, we have gone from an initial idea in a powerpoint presentation to a fully functioning company with customers such as Disney and Difuzed – some of the biggest merch-sellers in the world.
What is the future of Creator Studio?
It is only the beginning. There are a lot of merchandising options. Our goal is to change the face of the music industry and be the standard for creative and responsible business practices.
Creator Studio is not just a tool to keep up with the changes, it’s also the reason behind them. It is important to stay on top of the latest technological advances and to respond to those changes. Our customers are using AR to create unique experiences that allow their fans to create clothing. There is still so much to do in this hybrid world between real life and the digital.
As an example, a growing number of performers are putting on shows digitally. This opens up a world of possibilities for connecting with online audiences through merchandise, as well as exploring digital merchandise to be used by avatars and characters.
We believe that everyone can create today. Therefore, our ultimate dream is to develop a global platform for anyone who wants to customise merchandise. This could be either their own or a product they want to sell to fans and customers. The beginning is here!