Bands, Unions and Other Allies

Our Community

In 2015 we convinced various bands and artists from all over the place to join our crowdfunding campaign and help us getting started. Back then, we did not know where our idea to support worker empowerment and worker self-management through establishing a fair merch alternative would lead us.

Today, however, after having worked with a wide range of people and organisations who embraced our unique and – let’s be honest – more expensive approach, we can look back with gratitude for the trust all of them have given us. Are you next in joining us?

Working Class History T-Shirt of the Month Project

When we got our copy of the book ‘Everyday Acts of Resistance & Rebellion’, it inspired us to propose a cooperation to the editors at Working Class History. What if there would be a special t-shirt design each month inspired by a story from WCH’s archive?

True to dna merch’s spirit of solidarity and support between small, independent and worker-run units, this project has now been up and running since November 2021. It links international artists, tattooists, graphic designers with grassroots labour unions in South Asia, a worker-owned textiles cooperative in Croatia, and supportative individuals (aka buyers) from all over the world. What’s more, it connects our collective history of past struggles with the present and is something we are really passionate about!

Please take a moment and check out the current T-Shirt of the Month and if you ever feel like contributing a future design please do not hesitate to contact us.

Tattoo Art T-Shirt of the Month Project

The Tattoo Art T-Shirt of the Month is a cooperation between us and the non-profit tattoo art association based in Münster. The Tätowierkunstverein is committed to the recognition and establishment of tattooing as a form of art. One would think that this is clear, but unfortunately tattoo artists are currently severely disadvantaged. In Germany, for example, they are denied access to the Künstlersozialkasse, a social health and pension fund for freelance artists, publicists and art teachers.

The collaboration between dna merch and the Tätowierkunstverein aims at increasing the public perception and visibility of tattoo artists as actual artists. How? Through the monthly promotion of a new exclusive t-shirt design, created by members of the association from Germany as well as its worldwide supporters.

Cooperation instead of Competition

After briefly being in touch in 2019, Southern France based record label and merch printing company Useless Pride contacted us in 2022 again. They were interested in adding our basics to their catalogue as an alternative to the ones from big ‘fair fashion’ brands such as Continental Clothing or Stanley & Stella. Of course, we were interested too and we agreed on a joint action plan. It prides us that Useless Pride are now working towards the goal of offering our basics in all the print on demand web shops they manage for international bands and artists. This is what Olivier from Useless Pride says about our cooperation:

“The common thing we have with dna merch is that we come approximately from the same culture, which is more ethic. Our way of working can’t be selling millions of pieces, our way of working would be to have 500 little companies doing the same job as us than 1 big with 500 millions euros sales per year. You can’t run a big company like this and stay with the basic ethic.”