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

Mar 13, 2026

Joe, founder and designer of Cola Corporation, runs a provocative political clothing label that challenges police, ICE, and establishment power. He discusses government seizure of shipments, platform and advertising bans, printer refusals, and viral backlash. The conversation focuses on fashion as resistance, censorship double standards, and the practical costs of making political merch.

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ANECDOTE

How A DMCA Threat Turned Into Free Publicity

Joe recounts receiving a DMCA-style takedown from a lawyer for the Los Angeles Police Foundation over his F the LAPD T-shirt.
His lawyer Mike Dunford replied with a viral 'LOL no' letter, which generated press coverage and sold out his shop via the Streisand effect.

ANECDOTE

When Customs Seized Political Shirts At O'Hare

Joe describes Customs and Border Protection opening a shipment and seizing T-shirts including a bee-swarming-cop design and an 'eliminate ice' shirt at O'Hare.
He marketed the items as the 'confiscated collection' after 404 Media covered the seizure, which produced strong pre-order sales.

INSIGHT

Selective Censorship Protects Power Not Public Safety

Taylor and Joe note double standards: platforms and marketplaces remove leftist or anti-establishment merch while tolerating or promoting right-wing violent or misogynistic items.
This selective censorship concentrates power by suppressing speech that critiques institutions like police and ICE.

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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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