It has been an extremely busy few months for Sykkuno. For someone with such a relaxed demeanor, it seems he’s always doing something new. Almost every single week, it feels like he’s announcing another ground-breaking development, be that working with new big creators in the industry, continually collaborating and living with other top streamers, or becoming the latest top Twitch streamer to switch to YouTube. 

One of the biggest recent developments in Sykkuno’s career was his first merch drop. Despite being one of the highest-profile creators online, it was a quite a while before he released his line of clothing. However, good things come to those who wait, and Sykkuno’s clothing drop was an enormous success when it finally dropped, with him stating in one of his streams, “Oh, the merch, guys the merch is gone now. It's gone forever but thanks so much for buying it guys. I think overall the merch was a really good success”.

Looking at it now that the sale has ended — Sykkuno did almost everything right in the creation and promotion of his merch. In a sea of products promoted by rival creators, his drop stood out. The clothing line was not only a great expansion in Sykkuno’s brand as a creator, but is a benchmark for how individual streamers can execute similar ventures. Inven Global spoke with Fanjoy’s VP of Talent, Josh 'Caru' Glodoveza, to discuss the line.

Collaboration

One of the biggest points that Sykkuno and his team made full use of was being as collaborative as possible. It’s common for merch drops to have a photoshoot for promotion — his went the extra mile. Looking at the promotion, an all-star cast of creators was assembled, with his close friends Rachell "Rae" Hofstetter, Imane “Pokimane” Anys, and Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang all involved. With all these names actively promoting the brand both together and separately, it generated a lot more excitement than other lines have.

They took this approach from top to bottom — not only inviting Sykkuno’s friends to help with promoting the brand, but also in its creation. “I want to give a lot of credit to Lily Picchu, who kind of pioneered a lot of the designs”, Caru stated. “It was very much a collaborative effort with everyone, and I think we couldn't have done without everyone coming together and finding something that we all love.” This involvement made for a merch line that seemed a lot more personalized and authentic — with everyone remotely interested in streaming knowing about it. 

Now It’s Personal

Perhaps the most notable feature of the merch drop was the items themselves. It’s understandable why the drop only had a few core items — the attention to detail was very impressive. Sykkuno didn’t just slap his likeness on some tshirts, rather each product is a specific part of his story as a creator: the scarf being his signature Among Us accessory, the “Shining Star” symbolism hinting back to his time playing Rust, and the green color-palette fitting perfectly with his overall aesthetic. 

"I wanted to find a way to kind of create something meaningful for the people that are watching every day and have something in their hands to say they're part of the community", Caru explained. "I saw all the fan art, and that jump-started my ambition for that." These choices make something personal, while also not sacrificing taste. Instead of something you’d only feel comfortable wearing at a streaming-related event, the minimalist choices helped the items work as both a fan tribute as well as regular clothes.

That’s the final point on it’s personality: the clothes look good, especially the work they put into the hoodie. An Among Us-inspired leaf on the hood, a glow-in-the-dark patch on the sleeve: it’s those details that help the merch stand out. All the little features make for pieces that are both unique and stylish.

Billboard

While it is not quite as important as the other factors, it should also be mentioned that Sykunno's decision to get a billboard to promote the drop was inconic. Though it’s difficult to say how much of an impact this had on the sale, Sykkuno hit the nail on the head when he stated on stream, “There's no way some random dude on the street is like, 'I wasn't going to buy Sykkuno merch, but now I am going to because I saw it on a billboard. It's pretty much a total waste of money, but it looks really cool.'"

The first thing to say about that is, yes, yes it does, but this also speaks to why Sykunno has become more than just a streamer to his fans, friends and community. He goes above and beyond, be that with his friends who are happy to help him as a result, or his career, where he goes past just the bare minimum, and looks to create moments that inspire joy. That same attention to detail and individuals is found throughout his merch, and a big part of why fans fell in love with the drop.