Design & Culture
Initiative
Student Merch & Brand Lab
School-Based Creative Entrepreneurship.
Overview
What this is for.
Student Merch & Brand Lab is a school-based creative entrepreneurship initiative where students design, develop, and launch official school merchandise and brand identities. This initiative transforms campuses into real-world creative labs where students gain hands-on experience in branding, design, marketing, and product development.
Students don't just learn about business. They build and manage real brands that represent their school culture and community.
Strategy
What Music to the Ears actually does.
Set up a school-based merch and brand lab where students design, develop, and launch official school merchandise
Teach branding, graphic design, marketing, and product development through real products
Let students build and manage brands that represent their school culture and community
Route revenue back into student programs
How students benefit
- Hands-on experience in branding, graphic design, and product development
- Real-world entrepreneurship and business management skills
- Opportunities to generate revenue and fund student programs
- Portfolio-building through real products and campaigns
Entrepreneurship + Ownership Initiative
“Turning students into creators, brand builders, and young entrepreneurs.”
Visit Student Merch & Brand Lab (opens in a new tab)Partner types
- School districts
- Apparel and e-commerce partners
- Design technology partners
- Workforce development agencies
Communities
- K-12 schools
- Student-run brands
- School communities
What we aim to produce
- Students with hands-on branding, design, and product development experience
- Real school brands built and managed by students
- Revenue that funds student programs, and portfolios built from real products and campaigns
These are the initiative’s stated aims. Published outcomes appear in the related stories below as they are documented.
Funding alignment
Where the funding fits.
Public funding sources this initiative aligns with. Schools and districts should confirm eligibility with their own funding office.
- CTEIG: entrepreneurship, marketing, design pathways
- Perkins V: career readiness (business, marketing, design)
- K12 Strong Workforce Program (SWP): career-connected learning
- Title IV, Part A: well-rounded education (arts and business skills)
- ELO-P: afterschool entrepreneurship programs
- Local Workforce Boards (WIOA Youth): business and employment pathways
Programs inside it
What runs on the ground.
Related stories
Where you can see it.
Case Study
LAUSD Paid Internship Pipeline
Turning creative skills into paid, real-world industry experience.
Read the story
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Partner on this initiative
Join Student Merch & Brand Lab.
Initiatives grow by adding partners with something specific to contribute: a workplace, a technology, a community, or funding.