Ben Roberts-Smith has launched a clothing brand to help support his family while he faces ongoing legal battles involving alleged war crimes and murder charges.
The former SAS corporal and Victoria Cross recipient began selling T-shirts, hoodies and trucker hats through the Epic 1 Two online store on Sunday.
The brand takes its name from Roberts-Smith’s military radio call sign. It was announced on Friday, followed by an elusive video posted on the brand’s newly created Instagram account, which quickly attracted more than 36,000 followers.
Roberts-Smith features as a model on the website, including on a graphic T-shirt showing him in military clothing and raising a peace sign. Another design depicts him being escorted from a plane on the day he was arrested in April.
In an email to subscribers, Roberts-Smith said he had chosen to reclaim the imagery surrounding the arrest.
“The day I was arrested and escorted onto the tarmac, I had no idea the images would capture three words emblazoned on the aircraft behind me. Spirit of Australia,” he wrote.
The website describes Epic 1 Two as a brand “forged in adversity”. Products are priced between $49 and $85, with a military discount available.
Speaking about the project, Roberts-Smith said: “This brand represents something very personal to me.”
“It is about accepting your personal situations but never losing hope,” he said. “It’s about the underdog and all of those people facing their own hardships in life that keep fighting and keep grinding their way forward.”
Epic 1 Two is not his first business venture. After retiring as a full-time soldier in 2013, Roberts-Smith established a consultancy business called RS Group Australia.
