We do not live in a serious – or reassuring – timeline.

Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump shared an image on his Truth Social platform, showing a handcuffed Maduro being transported on the USS Iwo Jima to New York City.

The image has made international headlines and shows Maduro wearing what appears to be a Nike tracksuit.

While some saw the end of a dictatorship or how a military raid alarmingly reflects US imperialist intervention which violates international law, others focused on the fashion of it all, making Maduro the unlikely first fashion influencer of 2026.

Indeed, since its publication, the image has led to a spike in searches for the Heather Grey Nike Tech Fleece, with the streetwear outfit going viral online and sparking a wave of “Just Coup It” memes and “steal the look” posts breaking down the cost of the outfit.

Comments ranged from “product placement has gone completely mad” to “this campaign is being funded by Nike” and several calling out the free marketing for Nike.

Searches for “Nike Tech” on Google spiked, according to Google Trends, hitting a 100-point peak on 4 January.

Nike Tech was mentioned in over 5,000 posts on X a day between 3 and 5 January, according to PeakMetrics – up from roughly 325 posts a day on average from 1 November to 31 December.

This has led to grey Nike Tech jackets – now dubbed “Maduro grey” – selling out in almost every size on Nike’s US website.

Nike has not commented on the situation – which is either an exasperating reminder that branding and business will always rear its consumerist head in any given situation, and / or a sad indictment of how lifestyle trends emerge even in geopolitical turmoil.