METALLICA
AUSTRALIAN STORE LAUNCH RANGE
the brief
Metallica wanted to finally open an exclusive Australian online store, and they needed an Australian exclusive range to pair. This range needed to convey the history of Metallica, while also including a few surprises that fans had not come to see before.
From a product perspective, management wanted to incorporate designs from their existing retail catalogue - remixed with different blanks, while also wanting to see a few new products.
The PROBLEM
Metallica are the biggest band in the world, they've done it all and they've done it strong for over 40 years. Their fans are incredibly passionate because they have been buying all things Metallica for over 40 years, and they needed to be somehow amazed with something new.
Furthermore, the Metallica brand is incredibly strict and meticulous for approving product, so designs needed to abide by extensive existing guidelines.
DESIGN INTENT
Being a Metallica fan myself, I'm also one of these mad fans who have been buying Metallica products for years, and so I've seen (and sadly purchased) a lot shoddy and half-baked product that feels either like a lazy slap of the logo on a tee or if you look hard enough at the fabric, it tears.
This range needed to have a premium feel to it, actually use top-quality blanks and actually touch on often overlooked product segments such as women's items.
To put the crown on this range, the focal product needed to be something exciting that the band hadn't released before, but also something not too far removed from their existing merchandise catalogue.
The INSIGHT
One of the most interesting and exciting areas of growth in merchandise, is the rise of sports gear.
What used to be maligned as daggy and boring, sports gear and more specifically football shirts have recently entered the fashion lexicon as the newest hot trend for bands to build on. As a passionate football man myself (United 'Til I Die…), I knew a football shirt would be the ultimate item for fans to get around.
Having found a Ride The Lightning shirt was produced a few years ago, this gave me the perfect grounds for this collections focal product.
THE OUTCOME
The Australian range was a hit with fans, selling incredibly well and attracting international attention as the stores launch tied into the announcement of the 2025 Australia tour.
What fans loved the most, was the very first Master Of Puppets football shirt. Celebrating one of the greatest heavy albums of all time, I had an absolute blast designing this one and really gave it that vintage football vibe that fans around the world are loving at the moment.
The other big exciting moment for me, I was lucky enough to have my Ride The Lightning hoodie design approved, which was a huge achievement for me getting to tick off 'designed apparel for Metallica' off my list.
Rounding out the rest of the range that I put together from the retail catalogue, we had some lovely items including the custom leather jacket, custom camo cap and women's crop tee.
