Who is the Palantir chore coat for?

"At $239 and in bright blue and black options, the jacket looks like a standard offering that has, by way of photographer Bill Cunningham, trickled down into mainstream menswear for years. This jacket is a pastiche of 19th century French workwear that was worn by people actually doing physical labor; the only noticeable difference is that a dainty Palantir logo appears on the breast pocket."

"The jacket ruffled feathers, to put it lightly. One TikTok described it as "Evil boring French workwear for evil boring guys." The more sartorially inclined questioned why Palantir, as a cheerleader of US military might, wouldn't make something inspired by American workwear. Still, by the end of its on-sale day, the 420 units Palantir produced had sold out."

"For over a year, along with its merch, Palantir has been trying to sell the idea that it is, actually, a lifestyle brand. In a credulous interview with GQ leading up to the release of the jackets, a Palantir employee told the magazine that the company "exists to ensure that the institutions that power the United States and its allies have the best software capabilities on Earth," and that wearing Palantir-branded clothing was a way for other people to hitch their wagon to this ideology."

Palantir announced new items for its merch store in late April, including a cotton chore coat priced at $239 in bright blue and black. The jacket resembles mainstream menswear derived from 19th century French workwear, with a small Palantir logo on the breast pocket. The release drew backlash, including social media mockery and questions about why a defense-focused company would not draw from American workwear instead. Despite criticism, all 420 units produced sold out by the end of the on-sale day. Palantir has also been promoting itself as a lifestyle brand, framing its mission around providing top software capabilities to institutions that support the United States and its allies, and positioning merchandise as a way to align with that ideology.

Read at The Verge