01 — The Brief
A premium brief from a premier campus.
Backwaters is not just a college fest. It's the flagship cultural festival of IIM Kozhikode — one of India's most prestigious business schools. When the organizing team reached out to Merchland, the brief was clear: premium merchandise that carried the same weight as the institution behind it.
But this wasn't a one-design-fits-all kind of order. The team wanted four distinct merch variants — each with a unique, quirky design on premium oversized t-shirts. Think "Marked for Misconduct" in GTA-style lettering with a three-star wanted rating. Designs that MBA students would actually fight to buy.
On top of that, the core team and coordinators needed their own identity: personalized t-shirts with each member's name and role printed on the back.
The sample that sealed the deal.
Before committing to a full run, the Backwaters team did what every serious buyer should — they asked for a sample. One oversized tee. One test of fabric, print quality, and finish.
We sent it. They received it. And then, almost immediately, they confirmed the entire order. No back-and-forth. No negotiations on quality. The 180 GSM biowashed silicon-finish cotton felt right in hand, and the DTF print was sharp, vibrant, and locked into the fabric.
From a single sample to six rounds of orders totaling 700+ pieces. The quality exceeded expectations, and the dropshipping capability made individual fulfillment seamless.
Backwaters '26 — IIM Kozhikode★★★★★Rated 5 out of 5
02 — The Finish
Where quality stops being a promise.
The finish spoke for itself. 180 GSM biowashed silicon-finish cotton, DTF prints that stayed sharp wash after wash — the kind of hand-feel that turns a fest tee into something students keep wearing long after the last event wraps.
Four unique designs, printed front and back, each one built to read as deliberate rather than disposable.
03 — The Response
The merch lands. The response is immediate.
When the first batch reached the IIM Kozhikode campus, the reaction was instant and unanimous. The core-team tees became the most talked-about element of pre-fest buzz.
Every member had their name and role — "CORE MEMBER" in bold yellow type — printed on the back. RAGHAV. KRISHNA. MEGHNA. SUGU. KHUSHI. Each tee was personal. Each tee was theirs.
This is the moment merch stops being a line item in the fest budget and becomes part of the team's identity — worn through late-night planning, on stage during the fest, and in the corridor walking out together after the last event.
04 — Rounds Two & Three
Good merch creates demand you didn't plan for.
Students who had missed the original window wanted in. The Backwaters team came back with two more requirements: a bulk reorder for students who hadn't bought during the first run, and a dropshipping order for distance students — individual pieces shipped directly across the country, each one tracked and fulfilled.
Not one bulk delivery, but dozens of individual shipments.
The total across all phases crossed 700+ units — from a starting point of one single sample.
05 — Beyond the Fest
One fest became a gateway into the institution.
The Backwaters order didn't close a chapter — it opened several. The quality of the merchandise and the smoothness of the entire process, from sample to bulk to dropshipping, generated multiple fresh enquiries from within IIM Kozhikode for different merchandise categories entirely.
That's what Merchland is built for. Not just delivering an order, but earning the next one.
06 — Snapshot
The order at a glance.
Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
Client | Backwaters '26 — IIM Kozhikode |
Segment | Education (premier B-school campus fest) |
Product Types | Oversized T-shirt (180 GSM, biowash, silicon finish), Round Neck, Polo |
Customization | 4 unique quirky designs + personalized name/role prints for core team |
Total Units | 700+ across all phases |
Order Phases | 6 (sample → official merch → committee → reorder → bulk → dropship) |
Dropshipping | Yes — individual fulfillment across India |
Print Method | Custom DTF Print |
Outcome | Full sell-out + repeat orders + multiple new enquiries from campus |
07 — FAQ
Questions, answered.
How did Backwaters '26 evolve from one sample tee to 700+ pieces?
The Backwaters '26 organising team began with a single oversized tee sample to test fabric weight, print quality, and finish. Once the sample landed and the 180 GSM biowashed silicon-finish cotton + DTF print cleared their bar, the full order was confirmed within 24 hours. The order then expanded across six phases — official fest merch, core team personalised tees, committee variants, a bulk reorder for students who missed the first run, and a dropshipping batch for distance students — totalling 700+ pieces.
Can I order custom branded t-shirts in bulk for a college event?
Yes. Merchland handles bulk custom t-shirt orders from 50 to 5,000+ pieces with DTF and DTG printing on premium biowash cotton. They offer round neck t-shirts (180-220 GSM), oversized t-shirts (180-240 GSM), polo t-shirts (220-240 GSM), pullover and zipper hoodies (300-350 GSM), and varsity jackets. They deliver to all Indian states including remote northeastern regions like Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Does Merchland offer dropshipping for college fest students like Backwaters '26 did?
Yes. For Backwaters '26, dozens of individual oversized tees and personalised core-team tees were dropshipped directly to students across India who couldn't collect on the IIM Kozhikode campus. Each shipment was tracked end-to-end, and the dropshipping batch made up one of the six total order phases. This pattern works for any fest where distance students need to receive merch at home — typical use cases include alumni orders, distance-mode students, and post-fest sell-through.
What products did Merchland deliver for IIM Kozhikode's Backwaters '26?
Merchland delivered three product types: 180 GSM biowashed silicon-finish oversized t-shirts (the primary fest merch), round neck t-shirts (for committee variants), and polo t-shirts (for coordinators). Every piece was custom DTF-printed across four unique designs, with the core team tees additionally personalised — each member's name and "CORE MEMBER" role printed in bold yellow on the back. The full lineup is visible in the Order Snapshot above and the Products Used section below.
How do I get a quote for custom merchandise from Merchland?
You can contact Merchland at contactus@merchland.in or call +91-62899904011. You can also visit merchland.in and fill out the inquiry form. Share your design, quantity, product type, and delivery timeline, and they'll send you a custom quote. Samples are available before committing to a full order.
