Threadless Artist Shops’ Print-on-Demand Platform Allows Artists to Design and Sell Cloth Face Coverings
Chicago, IL (updated September 29, 2020) – Threadless, leading e-commerce apparel company and online artist community launched face masks in April of 2020, with a portion of the proceeds that Threadless earns from the sale of each mask going to MedShare. Thanks to incredible support from our artists and customers, Threadless has already donated $500K to Medshare! Since aid is still needed, we’ll continue to donate a portion of each mask sold, up to a $750K maximum donation. MedShare is a humanitarian aid non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of people, communities, and the planet. They source and directly deliver surplus medical supplies and equipment to communities in need around the world.
Threadless initially added face masks to a small group of Artist Shops on April 14 and have since sold hundreds of thousands of units, and donated over $503,000 to MedShare. The non-medical grade cloth face coverings are currently available to all shop owners on the Artist Shops platform. Artists selling masks do have the ability to earn on the sale but many are also choosing to donate their proceeds to charity.
Threadless’ Artist Shops platform enables artists around the world to promote, add, fulfill, and deliver print-on-demand merchandise. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Threadless launched their own Community Action Plan, allowing artists to earn up to 60% more on apparel sales in their Artist Shop through May 31. Threadless is also encouraging small businesses, restaurants, bars, gyms and anyone else financially impacted by the current pandemic, to launch an Artist Shop by simply emailing their logo to start@threadless.com and the Threadless team will set them up with an online merch store to help offset their loss of revenue.
Threadless works with brands, local businesses, amateur, and seasoned artists to maintain their Artist Shops, add and promote new products and designs, support marketing efforts, and provide customer service to help Shop owners – both established and up-and-coming – sell custom merchandise and earn revenue.
“We’re really excited to be raising funds for such an important non-profit like this,” said Threadless Founder and CEO, Jake Nickell. “Face masks have quickly become a part of our culture during this pandemic and will likely continue to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future. Our artist community can help make masks personal to the wearer by expressing themselves with art and hopefully sparking a little joy during these tough times.”
Threadless launched their customizable online merch platform, Artist Shops, in 2016 to allow artists to monetize their art as their own brand. With Artist Shops, individuals upload their art and transform it into merch-ready, tangible products their customers can buy. Threadless handles logistics for Artist Shops owners like manufacturing, order fulfillment, and customer service. Currently, the platform hosts over 300,000 unique Artist Shops.
For more information on Threadless, visit threadless.com/face-masks and follow @threadless on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. To donate directly to MedShare, visit impact.medshare.org/threadlessmasks.
About Threadless
Founded in 2000, Threadless is an ecommerce apparel company and online artist community. Consumers vote on artist-submitted designs that become purchasable catalogue products. In 2016, Threadless launched the print-on-demand Artist Shops platform to make selling art online easier. The turnkey merchandise solution allows individuals, companies, and nonprofits to create their own custom-branded online store for free.
Media Contact
Elizabeth Schmidt
press@threadless.com