Episode March 13, 2026 42 min 1s

ICE Wants to Shut Down His Clothing Brand: What Happens When the Govt Hates Your Merch

From Taylor Lorenz’s Power User Taylor Lorenz

BUY COLA CORP APPAREL: https://www.thecolacorporation.com (None of this is sponsored, I just really want people to support him!!!!)

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What happens when the government doesn't like your t-shirts?

Joe, founder of Cola Corporation, has dealt with DMCA takedowns, letters from the LAPD, shipments seized by US Customs and Border Protection, and bans from advertising on virtually every major social platform including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Etsy.

In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with him to talk about what it's really like to run an independent political clothing brand that challenges power. We talk about fashion and clothing as tools of resistance and the high price of using fashion as a tool for political criticism.

Clothing has long been a way to communicate political beliefs, from protest shirts to campaign merch. But in the era of social media platforms, algorithms, and online marketplaces, the boundaries of acceptable expression are constantly being tested.

The designs mentioned in this episode:⁠ https://www.thecolacorporation.com/collections/taylor⁠

THE FREE SPEECH 1A SWEATER:⁠ https://www.thecolacorporation.com/products/1a-sparks⁠

Topics discussed in this interview include:

• The rise of political merchandise online

• Social media censorship and advertising bans

• Etsy and TikTok removing controversial designs

• Police legal threats over a T-shirt slogan

• Government seizure of political clothing

• The Streisand effect and viral controversy

• Free speech and political expression through fashion

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