YouTuber Markiplier releases new clothing line, Cloak. Photo Credit: Richard Heaton
By Richard Heaton
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Mark Fischbach, who goes by the name Markiplier and Sean McLoughlin, who goes by JackSepticEye have been two of the worlds biggest YouTube celebrities for years. On Oct. 19, the two friends took the next step in improving their brand by starting their own clothing line.
Both of their channels currently have more than 20 million subscribers each and they each uploaded a video to announce the launch of their clothing brand, Cloak. According to Mark, they have been working on the brand for more than a year, polishing their logo, clothing designs, and putting finishing touches on their website.
The site was opened later that day, with the ability to pre-order T-shirts and hoodies. The brand will officially launch on Nov. 16, and is one of the most expensive clothing brands sold by YouTube stars.
The launch lineup consisted of shirts that cost $35 and hoodies that cost $80. In comparison, another YouTube brand called Crystal Wolf sells shirts for $30 and hoodies for $50. It’s unclear if Cloak will be able to sustain itself with such high prices, however both both YouTubers have a very large and loyal fan-base that should keep the brand going for a while.
In the launch video, Mark spent a few minutes talking about why the brand was created and what kind of clothing they had made. In the video Mark states that they wanted to make “Clothes that we would be proud to wear, clothes that we would be proud of where it came from, of who it represented, and who it was for.”
Marks reasoning for the brand was that he didn’t want something with huge branding, and he wanted clothes that were high quality, fit well, and were comfortable.
“It’s shocking how hard that is to get in clothing today. Every company is so worried about shouting their brand at the top of their lungs, that they kind of forgot about the people that are wearing the clothes in the first place,” he added.
Cloak is joining an already crowded group of self-made brands. Crystal Wolf was created by vlogging legend Joey Graceffa and partner Daniel Preda more than two years ago. Joey has nearly 10 million subscribers and has proven that clothing lines made in such fashion can be successful.
Felix Kjellberg, also known as Pewdiepie is the last of the mega YouTubers who created their own clothing line. Currently he has the largest following on YouTube with more than 60 million subscribers and his brand, known as Tsuki, was launched in March.
It’s another step in the journey of these celebrities who made their names known by playing games, vlogging, and making comedies. It might also be a move that can put others on the map, or can lead to other creative ventures.
