TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese man discovered Monday (May 1) that the local fashion retailer NET is selling a polo shirt that features the Ukrainian flag.
Arles Liu, a 42-year-old Taiwanese semiconductor engineer uploaded a photo of the shirt on his Facebook page. In his post, he wrote that he was browsing a NET store when he came upon the shirt with a small blue and yellow Ukrainian flag.
He noticed the color of the shirt was the olive drab green frequently seen on military uniforms and the shirts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is frequently seen wearing when giving televised addresses. Liu was unsure of the reason behind the shirt's design, but said it appeared to support Ukraine's fight against Russia.
Liu told Taiwan News that he purchased the shirt at the NET store near National Cheng Kung University. He pointed out the shirt is still for sale on the company's online store, under the category "Quick dry mesh Dutch flag embroidered polo shirt."
Model poses with shirt for NET's online store. (NET photo)
In addition to the Ukrainian flag, there are also shirts that appear to show the Dutch and Hungarian flags. Podcaster Emily Y. Wu (吳怡慈) on May 2 shared Liu's photo of the "pro-Ukraine shirt" on Twitter, quickly making it a trending post on the platform.
Liu said that NET is known for its efforts to help disadvantaged communities in Taiwan. This time, he believes the company used military green and the embroidered flag of Ukraine as a "show of support for Ukraine by the NET brand."
Photo posted by Aries Liu on May 1. (Facebook, Arles Liu image)
According to Liu, as a result of social media posts such as his, Taiwanese have been buying this item of clothing in large numbers, "not only to show support for NET's attitude but also to support Ukraine."
When asked to comment on the reason for printing the Ukrainian-flagged shirts, NET told Taiwan News that it has "no position" on the matter.
Going around on Taiwan's social media today is this pro-Ukraine 〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕 shirt from NET, a Taiwanese fashion brand known for its philanthropy work. pic.twitter.com/v5KDaOZF6z
— Emily Y. Wu 〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕 (@emilyywu) May 2, 2023
