For Natalie Fratto, putting on her dark green jumper from US microchip giant Nvidia is like wearing the kit from a favourite sports team.
asserted
putting → put → team
Fratto doesn't work for Nvidia.
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Fratto → work → Nvidia
"I have a New Zealand All Blacks rugby jersey, and I think of my Jensen sweater in kind of the same way," says New York-based Fratto, who runs a tech start-up.
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who → have → up
She explains that it's a representation of a team and ethos "that I am impressed by and root for", and she proudly wears the jumper in videos she posts on social media.,
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she → explain → media
external
Nvidia certainly plays in the top league of global tech firms.
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Nvidia → play → firms
Under Huang's leadership, it has capitalised on the AI boom to become one of the world's most valuable companies.
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it → capitalise → companies
While it sells tens of millions of its chips per year, its clothing is far more exclusive.
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clothing → sell → year
The lines, which also include t-shirts, hoodies and hats, are typically only available to buy from pop-up stalls at its conferences, and for very limited periods or "drops" via an online store and sell out very quickly.
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which → include → store
And while it might seem odd that such a tech company is selling clothing, others are getting in on the act too – and also focusing on exclusivity.
OpenAI, the operator of ChatGPT, usually only offers its branded fashion to employees, but occasionally it goes on general sale for a few days via its website.
uncertain
it → seem → website
Meanwhile, Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, last year opened a temporary, pop-up coffee shop in Manhattan's West Village.
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Anthropic → open → Village
For just one week it gave away free baseball hats with the word "thinking" embroidered on the front.
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it → give → front
Professor Hazel Clark, who teaches fashion at Parsons School of Design in New York, says that by limiting availability, tech firms have taken inspiration from the world of fashion.
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firms → teach → fashion
"It's a very common strategy for brands to use.
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brands → use → ?
It elevates the desirability," she says.
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she → elevate → desirability
But why are such companies selling clothing in the first place?
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companies → sell → place
It is not as if they need the supplementary income streams.
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they → need → streams
Nvidia, OpenAI and Anthropic all declined to comment, but it appears to be about brand promotion and reputation management.
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it → decline → promotion
Take US software firm Palantir Technologies, which has faced criticism due to it work for the military and police, both in the US and overseas.
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it → take → US
Since launching its own clothing range last year, Palantir now calls itself a "lifestyle brand".
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Palantir → launch → itself
Eliano Younes, Palantir's head of strategic engagement, says: "A lifestyle brand isn't defined by what you sell, it's defined by what you stand for and whether people want to affiliate with it.
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people → say → it
I believe that the store's success and the enthusiasm from our community proves this."
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success → believe → this
Younes adds that "investors, customers, employees, and everyday people" in more than 60 countries have bought Palantir's gear, which includes a cotton jacket.
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which → add → jacket
One US buyer of Palantir clothing, who didn't want to be named, says it was attracted by the controversy and "amount of people talking about it".
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it → want → it
He adds: "It's the purest form of anti-fashion…and that is what makes it so interesting and unique."
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it → add → fashion
Critics suggest companies like Palantir are using stylish merch "to get their name into a more positive conversations", as Clark puts it.
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Clark → suggest → it
Younes says: "Our clothing, like our software, is not political.
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clothing → say → software
It's designed for all people who support Palantir and what it stands for."
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it → design → what
Some other companies are being more overtly political with their clothing, such as US defence firm Anduril, which makes military drones.
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which → make → drones
It sells a hoodie emblazoned with the words "Rebuild the Arsenal", reflecting its aim of seeing more US defence spending and manufacturing.
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It → sell → spending
Jonathan Sargent, a legal assistant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has bought clothing from both Palantir and Anduril.
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Sargent → buy → Palantir
"A lot of apparel today, whether it's Nike or other large brands, can feel disconnected from anything tangible," he says.
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he → feel → anything
"But Palantir and Anduril are companies that people associate with building things that have a visible impact, whether that's defence, AI, infrastructure, or decision-making systems," he adds.
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he → associate → impact
Back at Nvidia, the popularity of its founder Huang may be driving the sale of its clothing.
uncertain
popularity → drive → clothing
He has been known to attract crowds of adoring fans, competing for autographs or selfies with the 63-year-old who is known for his trademark leather jacket.
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who → know → jacket
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described Huang as "Taylor Swift, but for tech".
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Zuckerberg → describe → tech
Prof Gianpaolo Vignali of the Manchester Fashion Institute says: "People look at them [such big tech bosses] as role models.
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People → say → models
They want to aspire to them."
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They → want → them
For Greg Epstein, author of the book Tech Agnostic, who describes the tech industry as a cult or new global religion, wearing tech merch is "a way of symbolising that you're one of the prophetic elite".
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you → describe → elite
This can particularly appeal to Silicon Valley insiders who are often "searching for a sense of identity, a sense of purpose, a sense of community".
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who → appeal → community
Epstein, who is the humanist chaplain at both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, adds: "When tech bros put themselves on sweaters, it's more than just a cutesy phenomenon, it's an attempt to sell a cult whose goal is to radically alter the human condition."
Whether or not you choose to buy your next shirt or hat from a tech or defence firm, Vignali argues that all clothing choices are loaded with meaning.
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choices → add → meaning
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
