A year ago, Ali ‘SypherPK‘ Hassan debuted an apparel line called Metal Umbrella. The Fortnite streamer has since blessed his fans with several clothing drops, and he’s now expanding his brand in a major way. Metal Umbrella designs will be available at 25 brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. thanks to a deal between Hassan and Pacsun.
Hassans Pacsun collection will consist of six limited-edition clothing items, including a hoodie, a long-sleeve shirt, and four tees. The merch, largely inspired by Asian streetwear, arrives in select Pacsun stores on October 6. Consumers in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Austin (which is Hassan’s home base) will be able to get their hands on the new threads. Prices range from $30 to $60.
The deal is described as the first time a streamer-founded clothing brand has been sold at physical retail locations throughout the U.S. Metal Umbrella, which takes inspiration from video games and anime, is part of a growing trend in the streaming world. Gaming creators are making inroads into the fashion and style worlds, and in an age defined by “drop culture,” those influencers can use their platforms to build hype around apparel releases.
A notable example of this trend came earlier this year, when FaZe Clan launched a pop-up shop called The Armory and filled it with exclusive merch. That initiative allowed FaZe creators to sell directly to consumers, but Hassan is now going beyond that traditional model. The Metal Umbrella items available at Pacsun include clothes for both summer and fall.
“Having PacSun partner with us to bring Metal Umbrella in store after just a year into our launch is a real milestone for us,” Hassan said in a statement. “We set to build a brand that could bring the best of gaming, anime, and high-quality product together and Pacsun is giving us the reach and retail experience to do just that.”
The influencer marketing agency Semaphore brokered the deal between Hassan and Pacsun. “Streamers are the modern celebrity, and personalities like SypherPK are building communities that matter,” added Lauren Conlon, VP of Licensing for Semaphore. “By partnering with Pacsun, SypherPK will mobilize his online community towards physical locations in ways that bring new life to the tired ecommerce experiences known in gaming. Metal Umbrella is more than just a streamer’s logo on a t-shirt, it’s an identity.”
Though Hassan is the first streamer to be featured in Pacsun stores, other creators have partnered with the retailer in the past. Most notably, vlogger Emma Chamberlain has served as a spokesmodel for the brand and has appeared in several of its campaigns.
Hassan may not be quite as much of a style icon as Chamberlain is, but he’s a different type of icon in his own community. He was just named as one of the faces of the Fortnite Icon Series, which will immortalize him within the game that made him famous.
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