The Sidemen are showing off their turtle power at their new retail outlet. As the creator septet opens up its second clothing store in Birmingham, England, it is announcing a partnership with Paramount that will result in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed Sidemen apparel line.
The collection will consist of 13 pieces, ranging from t-shirts to jackets to hoodies, all emblazoned with exclusive designs. As a nod to the side hustle of Sidemen member KSI, the line also includes some boxing paraphernalia like gloves and wraps.
“The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are some of our most iconic and well-loved characters, so it felt natural for us to collaborate with the U.K.’s biggest YouTube stars, The Sidemen, on this new range,” said Paramount exec Rebecca Jenkins in a statement. “From T-shirts to boxing gloves, there’s something for everyone, and we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on it.”
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The Sidemen are one of the first creator outfits to incorporate a pop culture brand’s iconography into their own merch. The gaming organization FaZe Clan has closed numerous deals of that type, including apparel-related agreements with NASCAR and the NHL’s New York Islanders.
For the Sidemen, the unique partnership is taking center stage as the group marches into the Birmingham shopping center known as the Bullring. That’s where the second Sidemen clothing store (following a location in Kent) arrived on October 4. The store’s grand opening drew a MrBeast-sized crowd, and performers dressed as Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo showed up to promote the new merch.
The rampant growth of the Sidemen has given the group opportunities to roll out everything from breakfast cereals to chicken shops. By taking a novel approach to the creator apparel line, the Sidemen — i.e. KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S — are showing that their rapid expansion isn’t hampering their focus on innovation and creativity.
The decision to partner with a cross-generational brand is also significant. TMNT is a touchstone of Gen X and Millennial culture, but it is also still relevant today. The latest addition to the franchise, an animated series called Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, arrived earlier this year on Paramount+.
The Sidemen themselves are growing up, but they still reach a passionate audience of Gen Z fans. Their collection allows them to cater to Sidemen fans old and new (and maybe add some more along the way).
If you’re not local to Birmingham, you can pick up the Sidemen’s TMNT-inspired items online beginning on October 6. The only thing left to do is to determine which Sidemen member corresponds to each of the four turtles. I’m pretty sure that KSI = Raphael, but if anyone has any thoughts to the contrary, feel free to drop us a line.
