A blank T-shirt can be more than just a blank T-shirt – it’s a canvas for people to express themselves and create a unique product.

Counselor Top 40 supplier Next Level Apparel (asi/73867) will be providing blank T-shirts to spark creativity at this year’s 2026 Got Sole tour, stopping in Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami.

That’s where Next Level Apparel (asi/73867) comes in. The Counselor Top 40 supplier has signed on as the official apparel partner of Got Sole’s 2026 U.S. festival tour, one of the largest sneaker and streetwear festival series.

“We saw this as a natural next step in connecting our brand with the culture that’s shaping fashion today,” says Etienne Houseknecht, head of marketing for Next Level Apparel. “Streetwear has always been about individuality. Even though it’s driven by trends, the culture has never been about everyone looking the same; people make it their own.”

The supplier will provide blank T-shirts to place inside limited-edition custom-designed shoeboxes that will be given out at three stops on Got Sole’s tour, beginning in Chicago on July 25 and continuing in Los Angeles on Sept. 19 and Miami on Oct. 24. The festival spans sneakers, trading cards and collectibles, streetwear, vintage and luxury products, but every vendor gets the blanks.

“I picture someone coming to a show as an attendee, getting inspired and launching their own brand,” says Kenneth Jin, chief operating officer of Got Sole. “If they’ve got a story they want to bring to life, they can link with a blank supplier like Next Level and a decorator and actually make it real. We get to watch that happen in real time.”

The two companies began working together for Got Sole’s Los Angeles tour stop last year. Not every tour stop gets the same T-shirts. For example, in Miami, the shoeboxes will have light pink and stonewashed denim tees, inspired by the hues of the Art Deco architecture of Miami Beach.

The custom shoeboxes were designed by Brooklyn-born, South Florida-based graffiti and pop art creator Kever Ones and produced in partnership with Orlando-based screen-printing shop Hittn’ Skins.

Next Level will be giving out its heavyweight tee (7200), made from 6.8-ounce combed ringspun U.S. cotton. For a T-shirt to be considered streetwear in the modern era, it’s all about how the shirt feels.

“Ten years ago, it was often the logo that carried the value. Today, people pay attention to the garment itself – how heavyweight it feels, how it drapes, how the shoulders fit, how the collar holds up over time,” says Houseknecht. “Those details have become part of the design language of streetwear.”

A heavier fabric gives the shirt more structure and presence, Houseknecht says, and details like a dropped shoulder, a thicker neckband and a relaxed fit help make a shirt into the style people associate with streetwear.

Weight, hand feel, fit and how designs print on the tee matter because they’re being worn by people with really high standards, Jin says. A good blank gives people creative freedom – some want to customize it with graphics or embroidery, while others just want the style and fit to do the talking.