You never really know what’s in-store!

UPDATED DECEMBER 2024. New updates and themes come every 3–4 months.

While the Threadless marketplace is a rich and vibrant collection of amazing art and designs from our worldwide artist community, it’s just one of many channels through which artists can make money with their art. For years, Threadless has facilitated retail opportunities for independent artists through the Earn More program, forging fruitful connections with retailers like Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, Spencers, Target, and many more.

This ongoing Design Challenge calls for you to create designs inspired by retail trends our third-party partners are currently exploring. Top designs from this challenge could potentially be pitched to our partners and later featured in your favorite stores and online catalogs. Keep in mind, retail trends are constantly evolving, so expect the themes of this challenge to change every three months or so. We’re currently looking for designs that capture the following themes (see below for design inspiration for each)…

• Doodles with Benefits: Awkward yet endearing (and humorous) doodled designs, sometimes with juxtaposed type. Think: our Doodlecore challenge expanded.
• Vintage Nostalgia: Be inspired by truck stop 'bootleg' shirt designs, invent fake concert tees, imagine fake 'local' businesses, maybe even riff on "three things and a moon" designs, and more.
• BOLD Typography: Bold here could be graphically bold type, or in terms of content. Think: crass, some good ol' fashioned swears, or otherwise irreverent .
• Unconventional Creatures: We all love the usual suspects when it comes to animals, but what other odd creatures can we bring to the spotlight? Maybe: frogs, chickens, goats, hippos, platypuses, and other weirdos.

DESIGN EXAMPLES (in order):

Until our next four months-ish update, design submissions that follow these specific trends will be up for consideration by a wide number of retailers with whom Threadless works with. Keep in mind that you can also sell these designs in your Artist Shop right away!

How can participating in this challenge help grow your brand? While you may sell dozens of shirts from your own Artist Shop or in the Threadless marketplace, retailers often order considerably more units per design—sometimes hundreds of a particular design! That, of course, translates to more earnings for you. Nothing is guaranteed due to the nature of retail trends, but the potential here is huge for artists.

Important Note: While the Threadless marketplace operates on a very quick turnaround when it comes to featuring designs and paying out artists for their sold designs, the retail journey is significantly different. It takes time for partners to determine which designs to manufacture, and then to distribute and sell those designs in stores across the United States. Though it’s a longer process, the payoff from retail success is well worth the wait. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

FEATURED DESIGNS:
I Eat Cowboys Like You For Breakfast design by AnyoneCanYeehaw

Chicken Tendies design by TheWestwood

I'm Gonna Go Live In The Mother Fuckin Woods design by effinbirds

Yes I have FWBs Frogs with bangs design by Popcornpunk