Keep Calm And Peloton t-shirts… Thoughts?

'Second - the 'Keep Calm & ...." thing is well, well past its sell by date by a couple of years at least'

a couple? About 70, isn't it?

Maybe it's time to start "Freak Out and ..."

Do it!

You don't want to live with the thought of 'What If' rolling around your head for the rest of your life. The shirts can have whatever logo or design you want (beware of copyright infringement).

Remember that there is more to life than "Keep Calm'

Mombee - I'm not really sure your analogy with smoothies holds up here. When Innocent launched they were most likely doing something that was relatively new in a market that wasn't overrun with similar offerings, they had a refreshing image and a good product. You are trying to enter a very crowded market with a derivative product that is not just safe, it's actually more likely to turn people off because it's so out of date.

There are a few more things you can consider if you're serious about this. For example, you've got a long spiel about why you're doing this and why you like cycling - that's a good start because it forms something like a core for a 'brand' but none of that is communicated in what you are trying to sell. It should stand on its own without an accompanying mission statement.

Also think about the product itself, is it good quality? People might buy a printed t-shirt because they like the artwork, the slogan, the 'brand values' or the t-shirt itself, hopefully all of them. The design you have fails on the artwork side, for a start it doesn't have the right font or layout that is part of the 'Keep Calm' motif. People will buy slogan t-shirts but they have to offer some decent looking type as well - that’s especially important if you are doing a pastiche on a well known theme or logo, anyone can go to a high street print shop and come out with some words and clip art on a stock T-shirt for a few quid.

The shirt itself is also important. There's nothing wrong with Gildan per se but if you are just using the stock tubular knit shirts then they don't really feel like a high quality product. The fit tends to be very square with loose sleeves and is not terribly flattering. Most Ts these days are a more fitted style for men and women - have a look at Continental and American Apparel for example. They are more expensive but they feel and look like it too.

You mentioned about de-labelling or adding your own tags: you can probably find a local textile company or seamstress who can do this for you in bulk and it will help remove the perception that the customer is just getting a bog standard t-shirt with a screen print on. It’s not terribly expensive to get custom printed or woven tags made but you will need to pay to have them sewn on your product – similarly if you want to brand via sleeve or inside neck prints so it all adds to cost which you need to weigh against perceived value and what you can charge.

I’m really not trying to pee on your fire, honestly, but you could easily spend a lot of money and get nothing back if you start off without a good product and a good plan. As a start, there are several busy online t-shirt business and design forums, it’s worth taking a good look at them for advice and feedback - be prepared for some honest opinions. Best of luck

http://bit.ly/1u60Gn6

sorry, but i think you might struggle to earn a living from your t-shirt design.

i'm out.

[[[[[ If it doesn't pan out for you, remember to Keep a Slack Upper Lip.

The 'Keep Calm...' thing was moderately amusing when it started, but I groan each time I see it now.

I notice you haven't sold any on Ebay yet at the fixed price, so why not start them off at 99p and see where the market prices them. That will give you an idea whether its a good idea or not.

An ebay search for "Keep Calm and" shows 696,172 results so as Joemmo says above, you've probably missed the market.

Some honest feedback and benefit of a bit of experience:

firstly - making much money beyond a little on the side from selling t-shirts is very difficult, the margins are low and you have to shift a lot of stock to make it worthwhile. You need to be able to deal with returns, complaints, unsold stock, advertising, distribution... it's a lot of work.

Second - the 'Keep Calm & ...." thing is well, well past its sell by date by a couple of years at least so I would think seriously about starting out with some more original designs. Look around at the market, compare what you are doing to direct competitors and ask honest questions about whether what you're offering holds up to them.