The Dictator's Hoodie

For a moment, I dismissed the image. I was sure it was AI-generated—no way Hugo Chávez was sitting in a chair, giving two thumbs-up, escorted by federal agents while wearing an Origin USA hoodie. Then came word from the company's CEO and founder, Pete Roberts, that the recently captured Venezuelan dictator was indeed wearing one of their hoodies.

For the casual observer, this might seem insignificant. But the irony is compelling: here's a Venezuelan dictator on U.S. soil wearing a hoodie from a company whose entire existence centers on one principle—every product they sell is 100% made in America. Not assembled in the U.S., not half made, not 99.9% made. If you have an Origin product, you have a truly American-made item, produced in America with American sweat and American hands.

I've been a customer since the company was called Origin Maine. I first heard about it when Jocko Willink became a business partner with Pete Roberts and renowned jiu-jitsu black belt André "Dedeco" Almeida. The company's origins are a genuinely badass American story: Pete Roberts wanted an American-made jiu-jitsu gi, only to discover there was no American machinery or resources available to make one. So what did he do? He tracked down old textile machinery, set up a makeshift factory in the woods of Maine, and taught himself how to run the machines and make gis. (The story is depicted on the company's YouTube channel in the video "How One Man Built a Factory in the Woods of Maine.") Let me repeat that: a competitive American jiu-jitsu guy decided to manufacture gis in the U.S., took matters into his own hands by purchasing old, unused textile machinery, and taught himself how to sew.

The company's entire ethos is "Built by Freedom." Every product they make is 100% American, right down to the zippers and rivets in their jeans. If a material isn't sourced in the U.S., it doesn't go into their products. Their mission is to reclaim American manufacturing, and they currently own and operate several facilities across Maine and North Carolina.

So when I see a dictator from another country escorted by two federal agents wearing the most American shirt ever, I can't help but smile. A garment born from a story of American workers, deindustrialized towns, BJJ roots, and Delta 68 denims somehow ends up protecting the body of a man accused of crushing freedom in his own country. The irony writes itself.