It seems to me like these are just different/slightly smaller collections... Is it still not possible to make and display a specific product using the same functionality as your "Create" page? If so, why?

We're trying to display a very limited selection of products (basic t-shirt, basic hoodie, basic tank-top, etc.), and activate the T-Shirt Designer so customers can order fringe/higher-cost products at their discretion, but this seems impossible.