This year, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival celebrated its 25^th anniversary. The festival, which launched in 1999, took place April 10-12 and 17-19, 2026. At the heart of the merchandise program was BELLA+CANVAS, who served as the official blanks provider.

The company delivered both products and an on-site activation across two record-setting festival weekends, according to a press release. BELLA+CANVAS powered official Coachella merch featuring a custom “printed on BELLA+CANVAS” neck label, but they also extended the experience beyond just the product.

The press release notes that the brand introduced what it called “a first-of-its-kind immersive installation, ‘Coachella Merchandise: Then and Now — A Retrospective of Coachella Over the Years.’” The walk-through experience was hosted by BELLA+CANVAS and drew hundreds of festivalgoers, who had the opportunity to revisit standout pieces from past years while engaging in live, on-site customization.

At the “Museum of Merchandise” experience, guests were invited to print the vintage Coachella designs onto new BELLA+CANVAS T-shirts and sweatshirts of their choosing. Among those in attendance were a few guests that received personal invitations from BELLA+CANVAS. Ashley Dirksen, owner of Too Much Apparel, describes it as entering into a whole different world.

“The time capsule was like a true museum in the desert,” she tells Apparelist. “It was inspiring as a creative to get to see the art on every official Coachella line-up T to ever exist! Then getting to customize my own BELLA+CANVAS T-shirt with a previous design was such a unique experience.”

Ashley Dirksen of Too Much Apparel found the BELLA+CANVAS experience inspirational. | Credit: Ashley Dirksen

With eight archival designs and eight garment options, attendees were able to create unique combinations that reflected their individuality, the press release shares. For invited decorators like Dirksen, it provided a good reminder, as well.

“Participating in this event reminded me blanks don’t have to be boring,” she says. “Screen printing isn’t just a career; it’s an art form that helps people tell a story in everyday life when they get dressed the morning.”

Maher Hachem, owner and operator at OVERTIME PRINT SHOP, drew a lot of inspiration from the experience. “Working with the BELLA+CANVAS team was one of the best experiences I’ve had with a brand,” Hachem says. “We create custom merch all the time at our shop, and this experience assured me we’re doing the right thing. People love hands-on experiences, and seeing the line outside of the BELLA+CANVAS activation every day proved that. Since I collect a lot of vintage clothing, one major takeaway I had was to bring back some of the older designs that inspire me.”

“Festival merchandise today is more than something you buy,” said Megan Spire, executive vice president of Sales & Marketing, BELLA+CANVAS, in the press release. “It’s something you become part of. At Coachella, amidst the ongoing trend of personalization in fashion, BELLA+CANVAS set out to elevate the role of the blank and show how it serves as the foundation for cultural storytelling, creativity, and identity.”

Personalization and Inspiration

As the apparel industry continues to experience the explosion of personalized, on-demand product, Hachem believes participating in these types of events is crucial for decorators. “It expands your network and provides inspiration,” he says. “A lot of the time, we get caught up in the day-to-day operations of our shops and forget how to innovate. Seeing how the activation was designed, how passionate the staff was, and how excited everyone was to make their own shirt really inspired me.”

Dirksen adds that at the end of the day, apparel decorators should always take the chance to learn, grow, and experience when they can. “I could have never imagined that starting my own small business in screen printing would one day lead me to attending Coachella with a brand,” she says. “Going to events like this gives the opportunity to not only represent yourself and your business, but learn from and support each other!”