Palantir, a data analytics and technology company, is many things to many people.
It is a major military contractor and its technology has helped the Trump administration track people for deportation. It has also worked with the federal government to distribute Covid-19 vaccines. For some privacy advocates, it’s a Big brother-as an entity. And some amateur investors talk about the performance of Palantir stock and one of its founders, Alex Karp, with fervent excitement.
Now Palantir hopes people will wear its wares.
Palantir has been selling apparel — including logo hoodies, shorts, hats and a T-shirt with Karp’s favorite “Dominate” motto — for years. The new coat line, which drops on Thursday, is a step up in ambition.
Eliano Younes, head of strategic engagement at Palantir, wanted to make something “that wasn’t a bland corporate polo or vest,” he said. “Something that was comfortable, stylish and durable for the front lines or for everyday life.”
The jacket, which costs $239 and is available in bright blue and black, looks a lot like a classic coat—a heavy blue twill, denim, or moleskin coat with three patch pockets (two roomy ones at the bottom and a smaller one on the chest). The French jacket, also known as bleu de travail (work blues), was created by equipment workers in 19th century France. The blue or indigo color helped hide oil or dirt stains and may have inspired the term “blue collar work.”
Work clothes have long been worn by people who do not engage in manual labor. Over the years, celebrities like Austin Butler, Jacob Elordi and Jeremy Allen White have worn the coats. Photographer Bill Cunningham was almost always seen wearing one. Even Paul Newman has a functional coat in the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke”.
Peter Zottolo, a San Francisco-based fashion photographer and electrician, described Palantir’s version of the chore coat as “nothing exciting,” though he said he understood the appeal of the chore coat in fashion circles, citing a collaboration between Japanese brand Sacai and workwear essentials Carhartt, as well as Row’s version, which had a cotton cashmere lining. Although he added, “a software company that’s associated with government agencies is not generally associated with cool.
This isn’t the first time the Silicon Valley set has leaned into fashion beyond standard corporate merchandise like bags and T-shirts. last month Nvidiachip giant, unveiled green sweaters featuring a cartoon rendering of the company’s CEO, Jensen Huang. Vintage tech goods from companies like Intel and Apple fetch high prices on sales sites like eBay. Nor is Palantir the first defense contractor to sell clothing. Lockheed Martin, a weapons manufacturer, licenses its name to Doojin Yanghang, a South Korean manufacturer that designs and manufactures streetwear.
Some critics see Palantir’s push into fashion as a way for the company to gain cultural capital and influence its public perception. Brendon Holder, based in New York writersees Palantir’s coat as the company’s attempt to appeal to “the left-leaning, performative male type who would be in Prospect Park with ‘Infinite Prank.'” (An unexpected customer base may have ironically worn the garment, as was the case with Tucker Carlson’s merchandise.)
“When you wear work clothes, you tell people, ‘I’m down to earth,'” Zottolo said, adding, “It’s usually a disarming outfit.”
The decline, according to Younes, demonstrates Palantir’s commitment to “reindustrializing America.” The company designs and manufactures its clothing in Montana using local and imported materials.
The merchandise designs, Younes said, are inspired in part by the personal styles of Shyam Sankar, Palantir’s chief technology officer and executive vice president, and Karp, who is known to favor brightly colored ski gear in addition to standard navy suits and zip-ups.
The company’s online store, which sells products in limited quantities, often sells out within 15 minutes, Younes said. (The company typically makes 300 to 1,000 pieces per garment. It made 420 work coats.) He said its customer base spans the globe, with 29 percent of sales coming from outside the United States. In October, Palantir staged a two-day pop-up store in Seoul, and the company is considering another store in the states.
“It’s not political,” Younes said. “It’s about people who love Palantir and align with our mission.” He said he expected the jackets to “probably sell out within 30 minutes.”
The jackets, which went on sale at 9:30 a.m. ET, sold out about five hours later.
