The Bandwagon Society is a "brand" I started in March of 2019. Since then I have made over 500 sales in my shops, earning money by utilizing POD (print on demand) shops. I sell my work on RedBubble, TeePublic, and Threadless. My Redbubble shop is by far my most successful with my TeePublic shop in a close second.My shops have a wide range of products in various colors, each having their own unique qualities making it convenient and reliable for me as an artist to be able to fulfill my consumers needs. On average, every six months or so each site is adding another product that I can sell in my shop. By using these shops for The Bandwagon Society I can take more time to create solid designs that consumers will want to buy rather than struggling to print them myself and keeping materials in stock. I work a full-time job, so utilizing POD websites is a no-brainer!
The Bandwagon Society all started when I made a purchase of a Game of Thrones inspired shirt from RedBubble. With my item was a business card from the website stating that each purchase from their site supports an independent artist. I instantly thought, "hey that's like me!" and I was already determined. I started researching their company, learning all about POD and discovering other websites that did the same. In my research I came across other artist profiles and was able to get inspiration for my next steps.
With starting out, I knew what my initial idea for a shop would entail. I wanted to make "fashion for your fandoms" so that became my slogan. I knew it was too long and not catchy enough for a brand name. I brainstormed about 14 names, all relating to pop culture, fandoms and so on. Some included "fandom frenzy", "fandom fashion", and "culture craze". I knew those wouldn't work so I started thinking about popular clubs and groups or different fandom names. I suddenly came upon the word "society" and felt that it was a perfect fit for what I was looking for. I then started thinking along the lines of "fandom society" or "fan-base society" but those seemed too common. I wanted to stand out! I then remembered the phrase "Jump on the Bandwagon" and how there are "bandwagon fans". It was like magic when it clicked! The Bandwagon Society! If no other word describes what our culture is like nowadays it is "bandwagon". Think about it! When one person finds something they love, they share it with friends. Those friends then fall in love, sharing it with their friends, causing a chain reaction. We then end up with this "bandwagon effect" or feel pressured to join in on a fandom because that's what it seems like everyone else is doing or talking about! I think it sums up everything my brand is about and the kind of designs I sell in my shop.
The inspiration for the designs in my shops come straight my big geeky heart. I like to consider myself a member of many fandoms of pop culture and being an artist, I instinctually find most of my artistic inspiration comes from my favorite movies, shows, books or music. When you look through my designs you see a vast range of collections and inspired geek-chic designs.
I could honestly not be more proud of myself for taking this leap into POD "side-hustling" as well as really dedicating my free time to maintain success in order to build more. I have plans for The Bandwagon Society to stick around for a long time, and maybe even longer!