Why League of Originals chose Wayo as its go-to merch partner

League of Originals (LoO) was built around a simple belief: in-person connection still matters. After more than a decade in event production, founder and CEO Karolina Swietoniowska started LoO to create an event rooted in real community and built for the next generation of consumer brand leaders.

Since then, what began as a small gathering in a Venice warehouse has grown into larger-scale events with industry partners, speakers, and brands. And as the community grew, so did the standard for the experience.

“For every event, you need that physical touch point, something special that guests can walk away with,” Karolina said. “Anything we put our label on needs to be the highest quality. Our brand is premium, our experiences are premium, and so our merch needs to be premium as well.”

The challenge: Finding a merch partner who could rise to the standard

League of Originals wanted to make merch that felt elevated and on-brand, but working with traditional vendors was often frustrating and unreliable.

Before Wayo, the LoO team worked with large corporate merch companies, but they found there was too little collaboration, too little support, and too much room for quality issues.

“You just feel like you’re working with a massive corporation,” Karolina said. “It’s really hard to get that human touch.”

As League of Originals continued to scale, Karolina knew LoO needed more than a platform to order products. They needed a partner that would maintain the quality standard, work collaboratively, and ultimately make merch the easiest part of the event.

That search ultimately led Karolina to Wayo.

Why League of Originals partnered with Wayo

From the start, working with Wayo felt different.

Instead of moving through a standard upload-and-order flow, the LoO team would work with the Wayo team to brainstorm product options in the context of their use case and budget. The process felt less like ordering from a platform and more like working with a trusted partner.

“I really appreciate all the product recommendations,” explained Karolina. “Wayo is really flexible, especially when it’s like, ‘This is our budget. How can we meet it and still maintain the product quality that we want?’”

That mix of guidance, flexibility, and care made Wayo the kind of partner League of Originals had been looking for.

The result: A merch partner they could depend on

With Wayo, League of Originals found a more reliable way to create distinctive merch that felt on-brand, event-specific, and aligned with their event experience.

From custom sweaters that guests kept wearing after the event to branded aprons for a private dinner, the products Wayo helped create became part of the moment.

For Karo, that reliability changed how League of Originals approached event merch. Instead of restarting the vendor search for every new event or product idea, the LoO team had a partner they could rely on to turn their product vision into reality.

What’s next

As League of Originals grows, Wayo is becoming part of the team's approach to shaping each event from the start. Together, they’re creating merch that feels more thoughtful, useful, and unexpected – from elevated essentials to custom products that spark conversation.

What began as a search for better merch has become a partnership around making every physical touchpoint matter.