CUSTOM MERCH
Custom Merch in South Carolina — For Every Brand, Band, Team & Crew
Custom merch isn't just apparel — it's how your brand, band, team, or organization shows up in the world. At Eighth State Collective in Lexington, SC, we handle custom merchandise from concept to completion. Screen printing, embroidery, and promotional products all under one roof, with a process that's straightforward and results that are built to last. Whether you need 24 pieces or 2,000, we treat every order like it matters — because to you, it does.
What is Custom Merch?
Custom merch is any apparel or product decorated with your artwork, logo, or design — made specifically for your brand, event, team, or cause. It's t-shirts printed with your band's album art. It's hoodies embroidered with your company logo. It's event shirts for your 5K. It's hats for your sports team. It's tote bags for your nonprofit fundraiser.
What makes it merch rather than just custom clothing is purpose — it represents something. And when it's made well, people wear it, keep it, and tell others about it. That's the goal of every order we take.
WHO WE MAKE MERCH FOR
businesses & corporate
Branded apparel is one of the most underutilized marketing tools for small and mid-size businesses. A well-made uniform or branded shirt does three things simultaneously — it makes your team look professional, it builds brand recognition with every customer interaction, and it creates a sense of identity and pride within your team.
What we typically build for businesses:
Employee uniforms and branded workwear
Company polos with embroidered logos for client-facing staff
Onboarding kits for new hires
Customer-facing promo shirts and giveaway apparel
Trade show and conference shirts
Seasonal company apparel for events and outings
Industries we work with regularly: restaurants and hospitality, construction and trades, healthcare, real estate, retail, fitness, and professional services.
EVENTS & FESTIVALS
Event shirts are one of the most effective marketing tools that exist — they're worn long after the event is over and every wear is a brand impression. We produce custom event apparel for festivals, charity runs, community gatherings, corporate events, and everything in between.
What we typically build for events:
Staff and volunteer shirts in distinct colors for easy identification
Participant shirts for 5Ks, fun runs, and charity walks
Commemorative event tees for attendees
Festival staff uniforms across multiple departments
VIP or sponsor recognition apparel
Planning tip: for events with a registration deadline, build in a 2-week buffer between your final headcount and your event date. That gives us production time and you room to handle any last-minute additions.
From rec leagues to competitive travel programs, we outfit teams across South Carolina with custom apparel that looks and performs like it should. Consistent sizing, reliable turnaround, and quality that holds up through a full season of washing and wearing.
What we typically build for sports teams:
Practice and game-day t-shirts
Team hoodies and crewnecks
Spirit wear and fan shirts for supporters
Tournament shirts for one-day events
Coach and staff polos with embroidered logos
Travel bags and gear with team branding
One thing teams appreciate: we keep your order details on file. When you need a reorder mid-season or want to run the same design next year, we're not starting from scratch.
sports teams & leagues
Building a Merch Package
A merch package is a coordinated set of items designed to work together — usually combining apparel and accessories into a cohesive collection. For bands, it might be a t-shirt, a hoodie, and a hat. For a business, it might be a uniform polo, a branded jacket, and a hat. For an event, it might be a participant shirt, a staff shirt in a different color, and a branded tote for sponsors.
We help you think through what goes into a package, how the pieces relate to each other visually, and how to structure the order so it makes sense economically. Bundling decoration types (screen printing + embroidery) in a single order is something we handle regularly.
How to Think About Your Merch Order
softgood or hardgood?
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What are you printing on? T-shirt, hoodie, hat, polo, tote, pen, koozie? The garment or piece choice affects everything — printing method, color options, sizing, price, and how the finished product looks and feels. If you're not sure, tell us who's wearing it and what it's for and we'll make a recommendation.
Decoration Method
2
Screen printing is the default for most t-shirts and apparel with graphic designs. Embroidery is the right call for hats, polos, and workwear where you want a professional finish. Some orders use both — screen printed shirts and embroidered hats in the same package. See our Screen Printing and Embroidery pages for the full breakdown on each.
Quantity
3
Our minimum is 24 pieces for screen printing. Higher quantities reduce the per-unit cost significantly — the jump from 24 to 48 pieces often makes more financial sense than it seems. If you're on the fence about quantity, order a bit more than you think you need. Running out is more painful than having extras.
ARTWORK
4
You don't need print-ready files to get started. Send us what you have — a logo, a concept, a reference image — and we'll tell you what we need to move forward. See our Artwork & Design Prep page for a full breakdown of file types and what we can work with.
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Yes, but each unique design requires its own screen setup, which affects pricing. If you have two different designs going on the same garment style, we'll quote them as separate setups. If you're ordering different garments with the same design, that's typically one setup.
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Generally yes — for example, ordering t-shirts and hoodies with the same design in the same order is common. Pricing is based on each garment type separately since blanks cost different amounts, but the screen setup is shared.
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We're a production shop first, so we don't offer full graphic design services from scratch. That said, we handle artwork prep, logo cleanup, and mock-up creation as part of every order. If you have a rough concept or reference images, we can often work with that. For complex original design work, we'd suggest working with a designer first and bringing us the finished files.
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FFor standard orders, reach out at least 3 weeks before you need delivery. That gives us time to quote, get your approval on the mock-up, and complete production with standard 7–10 business day turnaround. For large orders, event deadlines, or rush requests, the earlier the better — contact us as soon as you know you need something.
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We typically ship to a single address per order. If you need split shipping to multiple locations, mention it in your quote request and we'll discuss options.
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We can discuss fulfillment options for larger orders. Standard delivery is bulk-packed by size. Individual poly-bagging, hang tags, or special packaging is available depending on order size and timeline — ask us when you submit your quote.
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We keep your artwork and order details on file, which makes reorders straightforward. Reach out when you need more and we'll pull up your previous order as a starting point.
custom merch FAQ
Ready To Build Your Custom Merch?
Tell us what you're working on — band, business, event, team, or something else entirely — and we'll help you figure out the rest. Fast quote, transparent pricing, and a mock-up before anything goes to print.
CUSTOM MERCH lexington, south carolina
Eighth State Collective is South Carolina’s premier screen print, embroidery, and promotional products company.