SXSW may be virtual this year, but its vast collection of trend-setting merch is very real.

Typically held in Austin, TX, the celebrity-studded festival full of music, film, technology and more went online this year due to COVID-19 concerns. The show kicked off today, March 16, and runs through March 20. Last year, the onset of the pandemic forced SXSW to be canceled, a move that cost the Austin economy an estimated $350 million. Though this year’s festivities are relegated to computer screens, organizers didn’t want to neglect the city, creating Collaborations for a Cause, a collection of official merch that donates a portion of proceeds to select local charities. “Our goal is to shed a light on Austin’s changing landscape and to give back to some communities that have given so much to us over the years,” organizers said.

This SXSW T-shirt from Next Level Apparel (asi/73867) features a design from artist Rex Hamilton and benefits the ACLU of Texas.

SXSW teamed up with artist Lauren Dickens to create a T-shirt inspired by the Austin foodie scene. The festival also created a recipe booklet sourced from a handful of restaurants. A portion of the proceeds from both items will go to the Southern Smoke Foundation to raise money and awareness for Austin’s struggling restaurants.

Texan artist Carlos Hernandez came up with a T-shirt and poster design to help support Austin’s live music scene. A portion of the proceeds from those two items will go to the Red River Cultural District’s Banding Together initiative.

Another tee, from artist Rex Hamilton, is meant to shine a light on local justice reform. A portion of proceeds from sales of the colorful shirt will be donated to the ACLU of Texas.

SXSW is also addressing the devastating winter storm that hit the state last month, causing mass power and water outages. Though the bad weather has subsided, there’s still a lot to be done for those affected by the natural disaster. The festival created a “Love Y’all” T-shirt to benefit Austin Mutual Aid and its efforts to support people negatively affected by the storm.

This tie-dye hoodie is part of SXSW’s Tie Dye Collection, which also includes T-shirts and fanny packs.

In addition to the cause-friendly items, SXSW also created several themed apparel collections. The Tie Dye Collection includes screen-printed shirts, hoodies and fanny packs with a distinctive blue and black tie-dye treatment.

These retro sweat shorts are part of the SXSW Cactus Rose Collection, in collaboration with apparel brand Camp Collection.

The retro-chic Cactus Rose Collection pays tribute to Austin’s cacti and their yellow flowers. SXSW teamed up with Camp Collection to create an ’80s-style double-ringer tee, varsity pullover sweater and matching sweat shorts, all featuring a cactus graphic. The collection also includes a raglan tee, baby onesie and ballcap.

This crop top from Next Level Apparel is part of the SXSW Thunderbird Collection.

The Thunderbird Collection includes vibrant hues reminiscent of a sunset and includes a crop top, tee, onesie and cap. The Eagle Collection was inspired by vintage rock tees and tour jackets, and the Aviator Nation Collection continues SXSW collaboration with the California-based lifestyle brand. The vintage-style sweatshirt, full-zip hoodie and sweats in that collection were all hand-sewn in Aviator Nation’s Los Angeles factory.

In addition to apparel, SXSW also offers an array of hard goods in its merch shop.

As well as on-trend apparel, SXSW also features an extensive collection of hard goods, including cork notebooks, dog leashes, can coolers, tote bags and more, sold either as a bundle or individually.

Brands at SXSW also got creative to stand out from the digital crowd. HBO Max created a digital-responsive game that responds to players’ facial expressions and gestures with matching characters and clips from the streaming service. Sponsors like CNN and Wisconsin Cheese mailed treat boxes to attendees to complement their virtual programming. CNN focused on items from local Austin vendors. Wisconsin Cheese sent out 2,021 personalized boxes of cheese – totaling about a ton of the dairy product – to attendees this week, as part of a virtual cheese tasting event hosted by comedian Nick Offerman. “We wanted it to be as close to coming together and having fun at a party as we possibly could,” Suzanne Fanning, chief marketing officer of Wisconsin Cheese, told Digiday.

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