Rubik Combined Listings on Underground themes is a setup we get asked about by stores in the music, streetwear, and alternative fashion space. Underground is a theme studio based in Tunbridge Wells, UK, and they build 9 Shopify themes with a clear lean toward bold, edgy aesthetics. Think band merch stores, tattoo supply shops, vinyl retailers, and fashion brands that would rather look raw than polished.
These themes have a different design philosophy than the clean, corporate look you see in Dawn or Prestige. They use heavier typography, darker color palettes, and denser product grids. Does RCL work with them? Yes. All 9 Underground themes are in our 350+ verified theme list. But the interesting part is how you style swatches to actually match the Underground aesthetic, because a default swatch preset designed for a minimalist theme looks wrong on a theme built for a punk rock merch store.
This post breaks down each Underground theme, how RCL pairs with it, and what styling choices work best for the music and fashion niches these themes serve.
Table of Contents
- Underground: the studio
- Testament
- Icon
- Vantage
- Other Underground themes
- Swatch styling for bold themes
- Theme comparison table
- Setup walkthrough
- Pairing with Rubik Variant Images
- FAQ
Underground: the studio
Underground is based in Tunbridge Wells, UK. They are one of those theme studios that carved a niche rather than trying to compete with everyone. Their themes target music stores, streetwear brands, record labels, tattoo shops, and the broader alternative culture market. Nine themes total, all with a distinctive visual identity that sets them apart from the typical clean Shopify aesthetic.
Why does this matter for combined listings? Because the stores running Underground themes tend to have interesting catalog structures. A band merch store might sell the same t-shirt design in 12 colors. A vinyl store might have the same album as LP, CD, cassette, and limited edition box set, each as a separate product for inventory tracking. A streetwear brand splits colorways into separate products so each color gets its own URL and social sharing image. These are textbook combined listings use cases.
Testament
Testament is probably Underground’s most recognizable theme. It is built specifically for music and entertainment stores. Heavy typography, dark backgrounds by default, and a grid layout that prioritizes album art-style product images. It feels like walking into a record store.
RCL on Testament is straightforward. The product cards have a standard structure that our injection targets without issue. But the styling matters here. Testament’s default color scheme is dark (think black backgrounds with white or neon text), so your swatch border colors and hover states need to match. The default RCL presets assume a light background. You will want to flip the border color to something lighter and set the active state to a high-contrast color.
With 104 CSS variables, you can do this in about 30 seconds. Set --rcl-swatch-border-color to a lighter value and --rcl-swatch-active-border-color to your accent color. Done. Or use the AI Visual Assistant to just tell it “make the swatches match a dark theme” and let it handle the CSS changes.
Icon
Icon is Underground’s fashion-forward theme. It targets streetwear and contemporary fashion brands that want a strong visual identity. Large product images, editorial-style collection pages, and a layout that puts the imagery front and center.
Fashion brands on Icon typically split their collections by color. A hoodie comes in Black, Forest, Sand, and Cream, each as a separate product. Without combined listings, that is four product cards on the collection page for what a shopper perceives as one hoodie. Messy. With RCL, it is one card with four color swatches beneath it. Clean.
Icon’s collection page uses generous whitespace between cards, which gives the swatches room without feeling cramped. The “pill” swatch type works well here because it matches Icon’s rounded design language. If you want image swatches showing the actual product photo per color, that works too. Four swatch types to pick from: visual (image), button, pill, dropdown.
Vantage
Vantage is the general-purpose theme in the Underground lineup. It works for a wider range of stores than Testament or Icon, while still carrying that Underground design DNA. Think accessories brands, gift shops with attitude, or stores that want a premium look without the corporate feel.
What makes Vantage interesting for combined listings is its product card hover states. Vantage shows a secondary image on hover, which means grouped products with different featured images create a natural “preview” effect when shoppers hover over swatches. RCL injects beneath the product card, so the hover image swap and the swatch selection work independently. Hover shows a secondary image, clicking a swatch navigates to the linked product. Two separate interactions that complement each other.
Other Underground themes
Underground has 9 themes total. Beyond Testament, Icon, and Vantage, here is a quick rundown of the others and how RCL fits:
- Flavour: Food and drink focused. Works for beverage brands that sell the same product in multiple flavors as separate products. Color swatches become flavor swatches.
- Tailor: Fashion-specific with heavy emphasis on product photography. Similar to Icon in terms of RCL integration, but with a more structured layout.
- District: Built for multi-category stores. Large catalogs with diverse product types. RCL’s bulk grouping by product tags is especially useful here.
- Bandit: Streetwear and urban fashion. Dark aesthetic similar to Testament. Same dark-theme swatch styling recommendations apply.
- Canopy: Outdoor and adventure brands. Great for stores selling the same gear in multiple colors.
- Editions: Limited run and collectible stores. Combined listings group limited editions together while keeping each variant as its own trackable product.
All 9 themes are fully supported. Our theme detection identifies them automatically and applies the right injection points.
Swatch styling for bold themes
Underground themes are not Dawn. They are not Minimal. They have personality. So your swatches need personality too. Here are the styling tips we have learned from supporting Underground theme stores:
- Flip for dark backgrounds. If your theme uses a dark background (Testament, Bandit), set swatch borders to white or your accent color. The default preset assumes a light background.
- Match typography weight. Underground themes use bold, sometimes heavy fonts. Use the “button” swatch type with text labels so the typography carries through to the swatches.
- Bigger swatches. Underground themes tend to have larger UI elements overall. Scale your swatches up to match. The CSS variable
--rcl-swatch-sizecontrols this. - Use the AI Visual Assistant. Tell it what you want in plain language: “bigger swatches, white borders, match a dark streetwear theme.” It adjusts the CSS variables for you.
For more customization details, see our swatch customization guide.
Theme comparison table
| Theme | Best for | Dark by default | RCL preset match | Swatch type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Testament | Music, entertainment | Yes | Bold | Button or pill |
| Icon | Streetwear, fashion | No | Modern | Image or pill |
| Vantage | General, accessories | No | Minimal | Color or image |
| Flavour | Food, beverage | No | Rounded | Image |
| Tailor | Fashion | No | Elegant | Image or color |
| District | Multi-category | No | Compact | Button |
| Bandit | Urban fashion | Yes | Bold | Pill |
| Canopy | Outdoor, adventure | No | Modern | Color |
| Editions | Limited runs | No | Minimal | Button or dropdown |
Setup walkthrough
Setting up RCL on any Underground theme follows the same process:
- Install from the Shopify App Store. The app embeds via an app block, no code changes.
- Create a product group. Select the products you want to link, assign option values (“Black,” “Red,” “Forest Green”), and save.
- Use AI Magic Fill to auto-detect colors from product images. Saves time when you have groups of 5 or more.
- Pick your preset and adjust for dark themes. If you are on Testament or Bandit, flip border colors. On lighter themes like Icon or Vantage, the defaults work fine.
- Check desktop and mobile. RCL has separate settings for product_page_desktop, product_page_mobile, product_card_desktop, and product_card_mobile. Underground themes sometimes have very different mobile layouts.
- For bulk catalogs, use the bulk grouping tools. Title pattern detection, tag-based grouping, and metafield-based grouping are all available.
Full setup documentation is at the getting started guide. Try the live demo store to see how swatches look before installing.
Pairing with Rubik Variant Images
The split between RCL and Rubik Variant Images matters for Underground stores. RCL links separate products and adds swatches to collection pages. RVI filters images on the product page when a variant is selected. A merch store selling a t-shirt in 12 colors benefits from both: RCL groups the colors on the collection grid, and RVI shows only the front/back photos for the selected color on the product page.
Why does Shopify default the product gallery to show ALL images for ALL variants? It makes no sense for a merch store with 12 colors and 3 photos per color. That is 36 images in one gallery. RVI brings it down to 3. Which is what the customer actually needs to see.
“Was having difficulties with 5 other apps before I found this one that worked perfectly on the first try. Great for grouping products together, very easy to use. Thank you developers, and thank you Zulf for your assistance.”
BELSKI, Australia, March 2026, Rubik Combined Listings on the Shopify App Store
Pricing
RCL is flat-priced. Same price whether you are on Shopify Basic or Plus, whether you run Testament or Expanse:
- Free: $0/month, 5 groups
- Starter: $10/month, 100 groups
- Advanced: $30/month, 500 groups
- Premium: $50/month, 5,000 groups
Annual billing saves 17%. All features included on every plan. Only difference is group count and AI credit limits.
See the live demo store, watch the tutorial video, or read the getting started guide.
FAQ
Does RCL work with all 9 Underground themes?
Yes. All 9 Underground themes are in our verified 350+ theme compatibility list. Testament, Icon, Vantage, Flavour, Tailor, District, Bandit, Canopy, and Editions are all supported.
Do I need to edit theme code to make RCL work on Underground themes?
No. RCL installs via an app embed block in the Shopify theme editor. Zero Liquid code changes. Shadow DOM rendering handles CSS isolation automatically.
How do I style swatches for a dark-background theme like Testament?
Use the RCL visual settings editor or AI Visual Assistant. Set lighter swatch borders and high-contrast active states. The 104 CSS variables give you full control, or just tell the AI assistant “match a dark theme” and it adjusts everything.
Can I use combined listings for a vinyl store with LP, CD, and cassette as separate products?
Absolutely. Create a group with the option name “Format” and values like “LP,” “CD,” “Cassette.” Shoppers see one product card with format swatches instead of three separate cards on the collection page.
Will adding swatches break my Underground theme’s hover effects?
No. RCL’s Shadow DOM scoping isolates swatch CSS from theme CSS. Hover effects on product cards continue working normally. The swatch injection and the hover image swap are independent interactions.
How much does RCL cost?
Free for up to 5 groups. Starter is $10/month for 100 groups. Advanced is $30/month for 500 groups. Premium is $50/month for 5,000 groups. Annual billing saves 17%. All features on every plan.
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