Hi Merchies,

As DRIP DROP keeps growin’ and growin’ (close to 650 readers now) we’re getting itchy to push out some new features and profiles alongside our regular weekly programming.

The requests have been noted.

People want a deep dive on Posthog’s merch A-game? Fine, we’ll do the damn Posthog deep dive, they are elite, after all… (watch this space)

We got a few interviews and a few profiles and a few features and a few surprises on the way, but there’s one certain trend observed: Australians especially (where we both live) are very shy about sending us details of their sick merch, so we can feature some more in our weekly DRIP DROP.

So! Cast off your inhibitions about invading our DMs, and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em (pics, or your good merch doesn’t exist)

👕 💧

This week I attended Growth Summit, which means I was in an exhibition space full of merch. Is there anything better for someone pulling merch examples? Here’s the roundup:

Employment Hero was out in full purple force, however with stock standard options. Socks, reversible bucket hats (points for a bucket hat over a cap, but minus points for the logo mania), and thin paperback notebooks.

Xero also went with a thin paperback (are we at saturation point for hard cover notebooks?), however came out with some surprises! A retractable measuring tape and microfibre cloth were the standouts for me, with a classic post it note book rounding it out.

Salesforce went with a slightly upscale approach, offering tumblers, lunchboxes, and wooden yo-yos. There’s no coherent story to these, but I guess they’re items people would keep as functional items.

Finally, Findex had no merch, but they did wrap individual kitkats in branded sleeves, which I do love as a way to not waste money!

Attending this event really made me think “the best merch is the one where you think, actually can I have two?”

Functional items that aren’t too branded, but you’re happy to keep in your car, on your desk, in your bag. From this batch for me it’s the Xero microfibre cloth. Even though it’s got a logo on it, it’s an item I’ll keep on my desk and use regularly!

As always, I’ll semi-regularly put a provocation out via LinkedIn or what not. Something to the tune of “your merch is shit, unless it’s not” or “damn linkedin you are so BORING, where’s the good merch at?” and then just politely wait for a few merch examples to be shot through via DMs.

Well. Politely waiting, no more.

If you’ve got good merch to show off, then DM me! I want to hear about it. Unless of course you hate linkedin (don’t we all), in which case, you can just reply to our email sends instead!

Funnily enough, I was looking for an angle to feature a few sent through (can’t accomodate all in a snappy email) so was trying to understand how to curate and then it appeared to me like a merch apparition:

Anyone with the initials G.H?

Anyone with the initials G.H, AND showing off some subtlety in their merch (my preference) 🎯🎯

George Hartley is a bit of an email marketing weapon, having exited his prev startup SmartrMail in 2022 (sent like 6billion emails, insane) and just recently announced funding for new AI smartketing venture Nitrosend. He also started Bluethumb, Aus’ leading online art gallery, so G has some good taste.

George sent through their latest Nitrosend beanies in situ, and what I friggin’ loved was the hidden embroidery. “SEND IT” indeed, that is unreal, loved a little easter egg on merch 👏

Georgie Healy is the curation convenor of lots happening in AI and shot the signal out into the LI-verse this week: Subtlety is in, in ‘26.

Rocking a new noggin piece from enterprise-AI-experts Radical Intelligence (who actually know their stuff mind you) it goes to show that good merch does not always require your brand name up in lights. Much funner this way, kudos to Dave King and the RI team.

This is angled much more towards the subtle aspects of merch design. I’m a huge Easter Egg fan, so love anything that sparks a conversation based on a snappy/clever byline, or referencing something from pop culture and find that much more interesting, any day of the week.

For example; if your merch has something like - oh I don’t know - “The Action Is The Juice” printed (google it), we’re 1000% having a conversation. And then it’s going in DRIP DROP.

Check out the DRIP DROP Sublime for more merch inspo