From hospital room to webshop — the start of Casual Merch

Nine years ago, in a tiny hospital room, something was born....and no, I’m not just talking about our son.

Somewhere between sleepless hours and that surreal newborn haze, I said it out loud for the first time:

“I want to start my own webshop. My own merch.”

It wasn’t a plan. It wasn’t even a goal. It was a spark.

And that spark never really left.

Every time I’d shop online or walk through stores in the city, I’d see shirts that were… fine. Cool, sometimes. But not me. Big bold prints, bright colours, more ink than fabric. The kind of stuff that turns heads, sure, but not always in a good way.

I’ve always been more of a “less is more” kind of person. But plain is just plain, right? I wanted something in between. Something minimal but meaningful.

Subtle merch.

A rebellious little wink.

A clever quote that hits home, even if no one else quite gets it.

Something that makes people think, “Wait… is that shirt saying what I think it’s saying?”

That’s what started it. This idea lived rent-free in my head for almost a decade. It would come and go and I'd write down concepts, brainstorm taglines, sketch out a few mockups. But I never took it further.

Then, a few months ago, the concept finally felt… finished. Ready. I showed it to my wife, still thinking, one day. Maybe. Someday. But then she looked at me and said:

“Why don’t you just do it? What’s stopping you?”

That was it. That was the click. The final push I didn’t even know I needed.

Less than half an hour later, she went to bed, it was already pretty late. I couldn’t sleep. I’d heard the starting gun go off in my head. And that night, I started building.

I booked the Chamber of Commerce appointment. I grabbed the domain names. I put all the puzzle pieces together.

And just like that, Casual Merch was no longer just an idea. It was real.

What started as a quiet thought in a hospital room turned into a brand about exactly that:

Quiet thoughts. Clever words. Subtle rebellion.

Not your average geeky merch, just original, funny, slightly rebellious apparel and accessories that say a lot… without shouting.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, welcome to the club. You’re not alone, even if your shirt doesn’t say it out loud.

Laugh a little. Rebel a little. Show a little.

Casual Merch