After a photograph of actor Sean Penn shaking hands with Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was seen around the world, the shirt Guzman is wearing in the picture is quickly selling out.
Besides the fact that "El Chapo" was a fugitive at the time of his meeting with the actor, people are also noticing the escaped prisoner's attire.
"Chapo has a lot of fans; everybody wants to be like him," said 'Gomez Western Wear' employee Merlene Peregrina, in Dallas.
The two shirts the drug lord wore in the interview have been available in Dallas. "Right now it is the most popular shirt,” Peregrina said.
In fact, the styles are completely sold out. The brand that makes the shirts, Barabas, is a style carried by retailers for years.
Barabas' website crashed after the shirt hit the spotlight, Time reported – and after the company posted on Instagram that its shirts were seen in the video. The site was back up Tuesday evening, topped off with a photo of Guzman with Penn.
The big question is why are people buying these shirts and imitating El Chapo's fashion. "They glorify most of these people because the live a life they want to live," radio DJ Daniel Franco said.
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The Latino radio DJ for La Grande 107.5 in Dallas said poverty has a lot to do with the sale of the shirts.
"They see he’s getting rich, he’s getting powerful, he’s got all the ladies and it sends the wrong message," Franco said. "And it’s sad, it’s really sad."
Another radio host at the same station is not too concerned with the gangster’s gear; ha has another worry. "I hope that they don’t try to imitate him," Armando Ulloa said.
