If the scenario of who will gain politically in Venezuela after the overthrow of Nicolás Maduro by the United States is still uncertain, at least one person tried to take advantage of the former dictator’s fall to profit financially: Pete Roberts, owner of the Origin brand, which produced the sweatshirt used by Maduro upon his arrival in the North American country after being arrested.
“Welcome to America. Unfortunately, our ‘patriot blue’ coats won’t ship until spring (starting in March). But they are available for pre-sale,” Roberts said in a social media post.
Later, the businessman recorded a video commenting on what happened, in which he said that his cell phone “exploded” with messages when photos of the Venezuelan dictator went viral and that he needed to find out whether they were images made with artificial intelligence or not.
Take advantage of the stock market rise!
“They weren’t. The irony is that this logo here on the clothes that Maduro is wearing means ‘freedom’,” he said.
“I find that very curious and interesting, because I believe what happened was he landed in New York and it was very cold outside, and they put him in a hoodie that has a mineral in it to keep him warm. I’m not sure, but he definitely approved. I think he liked the fabric. It’s interesting to imagine that probably a DEA agent put this hoodie on him and said, ‘You’re going to feel the fabric of freedom on American soil,'” Roberts speculated.
According to the founder of Origin, the brand was created as a way to revive the region where he lives, in Maine, and avoid the loss of local jobs to other regions of the planet, which he saw as a way to fight against greed and socialism, “in other words, everything that Maduro represents”.
Continues after advertising
“This hoodie is called patriot blue and we’re getting the fabric ready now for spring. We weren’t planning on releasing it until spring, but we just put it up for pre-order and will ship it later,” he commented.
Monetizando crises
It was not the first time in recent months that a company took advantage of a crisis on the international scene to advertise its own products.
In October 2025, the German company Bocker had one of its stairlifts used in the robbery of the Louvre Museum, and made a joke on social media stating that the product was suitable for anyone who wanted to move as quickly as the thieves.
