When it comes to music festivals, American Apparel is ready to rock.

The brand, which is part of Top 40 supplier Gildan (asi/56842), has landed a multiyear partnership as the official printwear supplier at select Live Nation festivals across the United States. To kick things off, the apparel maker will be at the Music Midtown festival in Atlanta today, Sept. 15 through Sept. 17, debuting its Tee Lab activation.

American Apparel is the official printwear supplier at select Live Nation festivals.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Live Nation, the global leader in live entertainment, to feature our iconic American Apparel brand center stage,” said Emma Budzisz, vice president of marketing at Gildan Activewear. “Music holds a special place in the hearts of our consumers, and the festival experience presents us with an exceptional opportunity to collaborate with artists and designers to create timeless T-shirt memories for attendees.”

During the Music Midtown festival, American Apparel will offer attendees what it’s calling a “one-of-a-kind customization experience.” Fans will have the opportunity to receive a complimentary custom-printed T-shirt, along with embroidered patches, with American Apparel team members offering visitors a dedicated design desk to create their unique customizations.

In addition to the freebies, attendees will be able to buy American Apparel printed products directly from the booth.

American Apparel’s Tee Lab follows a trend of experiential branding and live decoration that was gaining steam prior to the pandemic – and picked back up again once large-scale events came back in earnest. “When people have the opportunity to take part and feel like they’re an asset in bringing something to life, there’s way more benefit to the brand,” Lucas Guariglia, owner of Rowboat Creative (asi/313715), said about the appeal of live decoration and brand activations.

Around since 1994, Music Midtown features a lineup of more than 30 artists – from rock and pop to hip-hop, electronic and anything in between – across four stages for three days.

Gildan, which recently published its 19th ESG report, ranked fifth on Counselor’s most recent list of the Top 40 suppliers in the industry, with an estimated North American promotional products revenue of $762.2 million in 2022.

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