Palantir, the controversial data-mining firm and major United States government contractor, is known for creating surveillance tools used to fulfill President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda.
And now apparently, the company also is in the business of mainstream streetwear. Last week, Palantir dropped an exclusive chore coat for its fans. The garment, which came in bright blue and black, retailed for $239 and sold out within a day.
Palantir has sold merchandise before, including a T-shirt with the caption “Dominate,” but a chore coat is different ― and a bit of a paradox. The fashion product has a unique European Union and labor history that is at odds with a private firm that champions U.S. military dominance and generates $1.4 billion in revenue, in part by building systems used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
On social media, Eliano Younes, head of strategic engagement at Palantir, said that the company chose to release a chore coat over familiar corporate merchandise because the firm wanted to sell something “deployed colleagues and supporters of Palantir could wear that wasn’t a bland corporate polo or vest.”
And a chore coat is definitely not bland –– it has great historic weight, according to experts.
