The owner of a conservative apparel company was fined more than $200,000 by the Federal Trade Commission for replacing “made in China” tags with “made in the USA” tags on clothing.
The FTC acted against Lions Not Sheep Products LLC owner Sean Whalen after he posted a video on social media titled “MADE IN AMERICA!” in which he said “he could conceal the fact that his shirts are made in China by ripping out the original tags and replacing them with tags stating that the merchandise was made in the United States,” the FTC said in a statement.
Whalen and Lions Not Sheep swapped the tags on shirts from May 10 to Oct. 21, 2021, according to the FTC.
Lions Not Sheep says on its website that it sources its “products and ‘blank’ garments from multiple domestic and international vendors and suppliers.”
Hannah Phillips / USA Today Network
“In our effort to keep as many jobs as possible inside the USA, our blank garments/items that are purchased internationally are shipped to the USA to be printed, embroidered, laser engraved, tagged, and bagged all inside the USA,” it says on the website. “This process is commonly known as ‘white-labeling.'”
In a post on the company’s Instagram account in May responding to the FTC’s investigation, Whalen said he is proud “to have built a company from a single tee shirt on blood sweat and tears and who employs dozens of hard working Americans.”
“Lots of folks who haven’t done much always have plenty to say, but we at LNS are head down working hard to continue to grow and support our first responders, military, and all patriots across the globe and build a bad ass company, “He said in the statement. “Our T-Shirts are Printed in the USA! Our hats are embroidered in the USA! GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
Whalen, who is also an author and a life coach, told NBC News that he would publish another statement about the FTC’s decision Monday.
As part of the order, Whalen will be fined $211,335 and the company must “stop making bogus Made in USA claims” and “come clean about foreign production.”
“Under the order, Whalen and Lions Not Sheep must stop claiming that products are made in the United States unless they can show that the product’s final assembly or processing — and all significant processing — takes place here and that all or virtually all ingredients or components of the product are made and sourced here,” the FTC said in a statement.
Lions Not Sheep features products on its website like shirts that say “Let’s Go Brandon,” which is code for insulting President Joe Biden, according to The Associated Press. It also features hats and shirts with the hashtag “#FJB” and the description “If you know, you know. #FJB.”
Another hat featured on the website bears the Revolutionary War slogan “Don’t tread on me,” which was featured on flags flown by the mob that violently overran the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The company’s about section on its Facebook page tells readers: “You have two choices. To LEAD or to be LED. We are a generation of LEADERS. We are a generation of LIONS.”
The company is based in Salt Lake City.