An apparatus and method are disclosed for applying designs to pierceable materials, such as fabrics, paper goods, leather, etc., from a continuous supply strip containing intermittent design portions equally spaced along the length of the supply strip. The apparatus comprises feeding means for intermittently feeding the supply strip to a shearing, bending, driving and clinching station positioned above a clinching die; shearing means for severing a length of said supply strip from the end thereof; bending means for bending the cut off length into an approximately U-shaped member having a bight portion and side leg portions; driving means for driving the U-shaped member into the clinching die and through any pierceable material positioned above the die; and locater means for establishing a proper start position for the supply strip so that the design portions thereof will constitute the bight portions of the U-shaped members. The novel supply strip for use with the method and apparatus comprises a continuous elongated strip, preferably of metal, having juxtaposed design and crimping portions so that every other portion of the strip is a design portion with all of the design portions being of a first predetermined length and all of the crimping portions being of a second predetermined length, whereby the design portions will be separated by equal intervals. The supply strip includes means for establishing a proper start position such that the design portions will properly end up constituting the bight portion of the U-shaped member formed and driven by the apparatus hereof.