Having bought Hip-Hop merchandise multiple times, the frustration of two Hip-Hop enthusiasts from Berlin made them realize an opportunity. Soon after, they founded cream design, a Hip-Hop fashion start-up aiming to revolutionize the merchandise industry.
It was supposed to be a happy day when Calvin received his Eminem merchandise. Having waited over a year, he opened the package full of excitement, but he was utterly disappointed. “In the beginning, finding interesting and available merchandise was nearly impossible. That’s why in the end, I settled for something half-assed. I was annoyed when I also had to pay over 40€ on shipping and waited over a year for bad quality products made under sweatshop conditions,” says Calvin. When he and Nicolo, who had similar experiences buying merchandise, got to know each other, an idea was born…
“It was perfect. Nicolo and I are passionate about Hip-Hop, and we have both had experiences with fashion brands before. Thanks to that, we instantly connected.”
The two Hip-Hop enthusiasts started interviewing fans. One key learning: Fans would buy Hip-Hop merchandise more frequently if shopping were less complicated, quality reliable, and designs more interesting.
“The issue is merchandise is a source of income for artists, but they don’t know how to design and sell products that speak to fans. So, what do they do instead? They outsource merchandise-related topics. Whoever is in charge of it clearly does not understand what fans want. Good quality and customer-friendly shopping is the minimum. However, designs should also reflect the artists’ creativity and music – and it shouldn’t be a simple album cover printed on a Tee! After all, this is why we buy it.”
Committed to building a solution, the two students founded cream design, which is inspired by Wu-Tang-Clan’s favourite C.R.E.A.M. song. But what does their solution look like?
“Cream design is a passionate Hip-Hop team. We thoroughly deal with artists before designing their merchandise. That’s how we design authentic and creative apparel that speaks to fans. For example, through hidden easter eggs, only real fans can identify. Moreover, we transparently communicate the ethical background of all our products. Our biggest values going forward are ethicality, quality, and creative designs. We are proud to have lived up to these standards since the beginning.”
Eventually, cream design aims to become the place artists turn to for all merchandise-related topics. Their first products include merchandise inspired by ASAP Rocky, XXXTENTACION and Travis Scott, with new designs by ASAP Rocky and Tyler the Creator soon to join their collection. You can follow cream design on Instagram: @creamdesignofficial to accompany them on their journey.