An airport photograph that captured Ben Roberts-Smith being escorted by federal agents has become the centrepiece of his latest venture: a clothing business attracting thousands of orders while he awaits trial on war crimes charges.
The former SAS corporal and Victoria Cross recipient launched EPIC 1 TWO with his partner, Sarah Matulin. According to figures reported by news.com.au and subsequently Mediaweek, the label received more than 17,500 orders during its opening week, alongside over 230,000 website visits and 75,000 Instagram followers. Those figures describe the launch period, rather than current totals.
The most provocative item in the range is a black T-shirt featuring the image of his Sydney Airport arrest. Called “Spirit of Australia”, it was reportedly approaching a sellout when the first-week results were published.
That choice of design makes the business inseparable from the prosecution surrounding its founder. An image associated with his arrest is now something supporters can buy and wear.
A business built around a contested name
Roberts-Smith says the venture arose from financial necessity. In his account, the allegations against him have closed off conventional employment opportunities, leaving him searching for a way to support his twin daughters and meet mounting legal expenses.
Speaking to news.com.au, he described frustration with the commercial consequences of his public profile. He also argued that people and organisations willing to support him face criticism themselves.
The label gives him a direct route to customers, with social media providing the audience and an online shop handling sales.
Its name draws on his military history. EPIC 1 TWO was his radio call sign during the June 2010 battle at Shah Wali Kot in Afghanistan, where his actions earned him the Victoria Cross.
The range includes tanks, cropped tops and caps, but the arrest-image shirt gives the launch its most recognisable symbol. It brings together the two competing narratives that have followed Roberts-Smith for years: his decorated military service and the allegations concerning his conduct in Afghanistan.
The proceedings behind the publicity
Roberts-Smith faces five charges of the war crime of murder. Prosecutors allege the offences concern the deaths of five Afghan nationals who were not actively participating in hostilities between 2009 and 2012.
He was arrested on 7 April 2026 and granted bail later that month. He denies wrongdoing and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in the criminal proceedings.
The criminal prosecution follows a separate defamation case he brought against newspaper publishers.
In that litigation, the Federal Court found that the publishers had established the substantial truth of allegations involving his participation in, or responsibility for, murders during three missions. Those findings were made under the civil standard of proof. His appeal was dismissed in 2025.
The distinction matters: the civil judgment was not a criminal conviction. The prosecution must establish its case under the criminal standard of proof.
There is also no confirmed trial date in the official prosecution update. Further procedural hearings are scheduled, including hearings concerning publication restrictions in August 2027. Predictions of a five-to-seven-year wait should therefore be understood as estimates, rather than a settled court timetable.
What the sales can—and cannot—show
The reported launch figures demonstrate that Roberts-Smith retains an audience willing to spend money on merchandise associated with him. They do not establish how the wider Australian public views him, or explain every customer’s motivation.
Nor do order numbers reveal the business’s profit. Manufacturing, fulfilment, marketing and other expenses will determine how much income the label ultimately produces.
Nevertheless, the launch illustrates how a controversial public figure can build a commercial venture around an existing following. Corporate backing becomes less essential when customers can be reached directly.
Using an arrest photograph adds another dimension. Supporters may see defiance or solidarity in the design; others may regard the commercial use of that image as troubling given the gravity of the alleged deaths.
Those interpretations will continue to compete as Roberts-Smith promotes new products and contests the charges.
For now, EPIC 1 TWO has established an early market. Whether that initial demand becomes a lasting business remains an open question. The criminal case, meanwhile, will turn on evidence presented in court.