PHOTO The Maduro Effect: How a dictator's capture depleted Nike stocks in the US and Europe
Nicolas Maduro, captured by US forces. Photo: HANDOUT / AFP / Profimedia
The image released by Donald Trump of the captured Nicolas Maduro sparked a massive demand for the outfit he wore while being transported on the USS Iwo Jima to New York. In just 48 hours, the “Maduro Grey” tracksuit sold out of global stocks, turning a historic arrest into the biggest consumer trend of 2026, according to EuroNews.com.
The US president released the first image of Maduro in captivity on Saturday on his social network, Truth Social. The Venezuelan president appears with his eyes covered, his hands cuffed and his ears protected by earplugs. He is dressed in a tracksuit and is flanked by a member of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
While some saw the end of a dictatorship, others focused on Maduro's outfit, making him the first unlikely fashion influencer of the year 2026. With the release of the image of Nicolas Maduro, Google searches for the Nike Tech Fleece he was wearing spiked, according to Google Trends data cited by EuroNews.com.
Nike Tech was mentioned in more than 5,000 posts on X per day between Jan. 3 and 5, according to PeakMetrics, up from about 325 posts per day on average between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31.
Google searches for Nike Techs are surging after Venezuelan leader Nicolàs Maduro was arrested wearing a full Nike Tech fleece pic.twitter.com/D59NqUMOUU
— Complex Style (@ComplexStyle) January 4, 2026
This has resulted in the gray Nike Tech Jackets, now called 'Maduro Grey', being sold out in almost all sizes, both on Nike's US website and major online stores in Europe.
Representatives of the sports brand Nike did not comment on the situation.
