Full Report
A Bellingcat investigation has found that a far-right fashion brand affiliated with the white supremacist Active Club movement has its products designed by a streetwear shop in the Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora. The decentralised Active Club movement was founded by American neo-Nazi Robert Rundo. It focuses on using fitness, fighting and fashion – particularly […] The post The Small Bulgarian Streetwear Shop Designing Clothes for the Far-Right ‘Active Club’ Movement appeared first on bellingcat.
Analysis Summary
# Main Topic
A far-right fashion brand associated with the white supremacist Active Club movement, Will2Rise (W2R), is having its merchandise designed and promoted by a small streetwear shop located in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. This relationship facilitates the promotion of fascist ideology, recruitment, and funding for the decentralized international extremist movement through commercial means.
## Key Points
- A Bellingcat investigation linked the design of almost 20 recent W2R products (fashion items, flags, stickers) to a small streetwear shop in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
- The Bulgarian shop, identified as GK Style, also lists other far-right and Active Club-affiliated groups as clients.
- GK Style claimed they only made design and promotional materials for W2R and refused to work with them formally regarding invoices/companies.
- The owner of GK Style was identified as the model for new W2R vests advertised in September 2024, with photos geolocated back to Stara Zagora.
- This finding highlights the use of "fashion and merchandise sales" as a key TTP for promoting racist ideas, generating revenue, and strengthening cross-border links for the far-right.
## Threat Actors
- **Active Club Movement:** Decentralized white supremacist movement focusing on fitness, fighting, and fashion for recruitment and radicalization.
- **Robert Rundo:** American neo-Nazi founder of the decentralized Active Club movement; previously based in Bulgaria.
- **Will2Rise (W2R):** Far-right fashion brand founded by Robert Rundo, affiliated with Active Clubs.
- **GK Style (Bulgarian Streetwear Shop):** Based in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria; alleged designer and producer of W2R promotional materials/designs.
- **Other Affiliates:** Mention of a Canadian far-right fashion brand and a prominent US Active Club among the shop's clients.
## TTPs
- **Ideological Normalization via Commerce:** Utilizing fashion and merchandise sales (W2R brand) to normalize fascist ideas and recruit young men.
- **Cross-Border Logistics:** Establishing operational links between US-based leadership (Rundo) and design/production hubs in Eastern Europe (Bulgaria).
- **Geolocation Evasion/Techniques:** Robert Rundo attempted to obscure locations, but advanced geolocation techniques based on street grid patterns and building features were used to pinpoint Stara Zagora.
- **Promotional Material Sharing:** Direct sharing of product photos between the Bulgarian shop's channels and W2R's official channels days before official sales launch.
- **Physical Presence/Staff Utilization:** The owner of the Bulgarian shop was directly involved in modeling new merchandise.
## Affected Systems
- **Web Platforms/E-commerce:** W2R website and Telegram channels used for promoting and selling merchandise targeted at the extremist community.
- **Social Media Platforms:** Telegram and Instagram used for initial product promotion and modeling imagery.
- **Physical Location:** Identified as Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, serving as a design/support node for the international movement.
## Mitigations
- **Supply Chain Investigation:** Organizations should monitor the flow of design and merchandise services provided by seemingly legitimate retail/streetwear operations that interface with designated extremist groups.
- **Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Monitoring:** Continued use of advanced geolocation techniques (street layout analysis, architectural features) to map physical hubs associated with extremist online figures.
- **Financial/Transactional Scrutiny:** Investigation into payment arrangements between seemingly commercial entities (like GK Style) and known extremist organizations, even when formal invoicing is allegedly avoided.
## Conclusion
The investigation reveals a crucial logistical nexus facilitating the Active Club movement's brand promotion, originating from a streetwear shop in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. This finding substantiates the threat posed by the commercialization of far-right ideology, which enables revenue generation and ideological reach across international borders. Continued vigilance on the intersection of legitimate small businesses and extremist fashion operations is necessary.