There’s a Clothing Brand Dedicated to One of the Biggest Thieves in Philippine History

You’d think running off with millions of dollars of public funds is a big enough reason to be universally hated. But apparently not. Convicted Philippine scam artist Janet Lim-Napoles may have found an unlikely admirer in a Manila-based clothing brand that is seemingly dedicated to her and her infamy.

As the mastermind behind a political scandal that rocked the country in 2013, Janet Lim-Napoles was accused of colluding with senators and congressmen to pocket millions of dollars worth of tax payers’ money. The stolen money was meant for projects that would benefit the constituents of politicians such as poor farmers whose crops were destroyed by typhoons. Instead, over the course of almost a decade, Napoles and Filipino politicians pocketed the money, while Napoles provided fake documents for ghost projects. The scam was estimated to have resulted in the loss of around $200 million.

Napoles is currently in jail after she was convicted of plunder in 2018, and faces up to 40 years in prison. She is facing a slew of other charges including international money laundering, filed against her by the US government.

But outside prison, Napoles’ legacy apparently lives on. Clothing brand Napoles Gang, stylized as N₱L$ GANG, lists July 14, 2015, as its founding date on its official Facebook page. That happens to be the day the United States Justice Department filed a complaint to seize the businesswoman’s assets in the country.

The brand makes constant references to Napoles’ criminal career, particularly the famous response she repeatedly gave when she first faced a televised Senate investigation in 2013: Hindi ko po alam (I don’t know). The statement is a recurring motif in many of the brand’s designs. Another recurring design is a grotesque caricature of her face, her eyes reddened and nose emphasized.

These words and images are printed on shirts, sweatpants, and even stickers, and often photographed against some distinctive backdrops like a shirt worn in Times Square in New York, or a sticker held out against the Chinese flag. Using graphic elements such as graffiti-inspired typeface, a symbol of the Philippine peso sign, and a parody of a famous motel chain’s logo in its designs, the brand’s aesthetic has a gritty air of rebellion.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwgxpIshVF9/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx32f2MBjrR/

But who is behind Napoles Gang? Browsing through its social media pages reveals that the brand follows only one account, a certain Iggy Napoles who wears the merchandise in many of his own social media posts and is featured almost exclusively in the brand’s collaterals.

“Yes, I run Napoles Gang,” Iggy Napoles told VICE. “[It] isn’t just a clothing brand, but a group I started among friends in 2013.”

Iggy Napoles also happens to be a rapper under hip-hop collective Rats Child. It is common among several Philippine rappers to create their own brands in an attempt to maximize their profits.

Many rappers are inspired by the likes of Al Capone and Pablo Escobar, notorious criminals who have attained a life of power and wealth. But Napoles Gang’s dedication to the convicted criminal is curious given that Janet Lim-Napoles’ lifestyle, while revealed to be excessive, wasn’t romanticized in the press as being particularly lavish—at least not in the way that would traditionally appeal to rappers.

So, is Napoles Gang a sincere dedication to Janet Lim-Napoles or is it mockery?

“We don’t have a connection to Janet [Lim-Napoles] and we don’t have any intention of praising or mocking her,” Iggy Napoles clarified. While Iggy admitted that Napoles is his real surname, it is unclear whether the two are related.

“Our group just became recognized because of our name, ‘Napoles Gang’.”

Napoles was tight-lipped about the story behind his group’s name and what they do aside from making merchandise. When asked what he thought about people relating the Napoles Gang to Janet Lim-Napoles though, he just said this: “They’re smart.”