Palantir, the 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 also worked with the federal government to distribute Covid-19 vaccines. For some privacy advocates, it’s a Big Brother-type entity. And some amateur investors speak with fervent enthusiasm about the performance of Palantir’s stock and one of its founders, Alex Karp.
Now Palantir hopes people will use its merchandise.
Palantir has sold clothing, including hoodies, shorts, hats and a T-shirt with Karp’s favorite slogan, “Dominate,” for years. A new line of home coats launching Thursday is a step forward in ambition.
Eliano Younes, head of strategic engagement at Palantir, wanted to do something “that wasn’t a bland corporate polo or vest,” he said. “Something that was comfortable, stylish and durable for the front or everyday life.”
The jacket, which costs $239 and comes in bright blue and black, looks a lot like a classic work coat: deep blue twill, denim or moleskin coats with three patch pockets (two roomy at the bottom and a smaller one on the chest). The French jacket, also known as bleu de travail (working blue), was created to dress workers in 19th century France. The blue or indigo color helped hide oil or dirt stains and may have inspired the term “handiwork.”
Work clothes have long been worn by those who do not do manual labor. Over the years, celebrities like Austin Butler, Jacob Elordi, and Jeremy Allen White have worn work coats. Photographer Bill Cunningham was almost always seen in one. Even Paul Newman sports a work coat in the 1967 film “Cool Hand Luke.”
Peter Zottolo, a San Francisco-based fashion photographer and electrician, described Palantir’s version of the coat as “not at all interesting,” though he said he understood the coat’s appeal in fashion circles, citing a collaboration between Japanese brand Sacai and workwear staple Carhartt, as well as Row’s version, which had a cotton and cashmere lining. However, he added, “a software company associated with government agencies is generally not associated with something attractive.”
This isn’t the first time the Silicon Valley group has leaned into fashion beyond standard corporate products like tote bags and T-shirts. Last month, chip giant Nvidia unveiled green sweaters featuring a caricature of the company’s CEO, Jensen Huang. Old technology products from companies like Intel and Apple fetch high prices on resale sites like eBay. Palantir is also not the first defense contractor to sell apparel. Lockheed Martin, the weapons manufacturer, licenses its name to Doojin Yanghang, a South Korean manufacturer that designs and produces 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, a New York-based writer, sees Palantir’s coat as the company’s attempt to appeal to a “left-leaning performative male type who would be in Prospect Park reading ‘Infinite Jest.’” (An unexpected customer base might wear the garment ironically, as was the case with Tucker Carlson merchandise.)
“When you wear work clothes, you’re telling people, ‘I’m down to earth,'” Zottolo said, adding, “It’s usually a captivating outfit.”
This drop, according to Younes, demonstrates Palantir’s commitment to the “reindustrialization of America.” The company designs and manufactures its garments 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, beyond his standard navy suits and cropped zippers, is known for having an affinity for brightly colored ski gear.
The company’s online store, which sells products in limited deliveries, often sells out within 15 minutes, Younes said. (The company normally makes between 300 and 1,000 units per garment. It has made 420 work coats.) It said its customer base spans the globe, with 29 percent of sales coming from outside the United States. In October, Palantir set up a two-day pop-up store in Seoul and the company is considering another in the United States.
“It’s not political,” Younes said. “These are people who love Palantir and are aligned with our mission.” He said he expected the jackets would “probably sell out within 30 minutes.”
