Fake streetwear brand Dmocracia: Spanish government campaign cost 386,000 euros, not 14 million
A government communication campaign disguised as a streetwear brand, featuring influencers inside the Congress of Deputies, has been falsely accused of costing 14 million euros. The real budget is 386,000 euros.
A campaign dressed as streetwear
Dmocracia is not a real clothing brand. It is a communication campaign from the Spanish government, part of the 'España en Libertad. 50 años' programme marking five decades of democracy after Franco's death. The campaign uses the language of streetwear, social media videos, and a capsule collection to talk about democracy, freedom, and rights among young people.
Although it uses the same language as fashion, it is not a clothing brand.
A photo shoot in the Congress of Deputies, with influencers like Marina Rivera (Rivers) and Sara Fructuoso wearing the campaign's hoodies and trousers, was meant to show a new generation entering the institution "with its own codes". The shoot was authorised by the Congress Bureau.
The 14 million euro claim
Nearly a month later, social media erupted. Pseudomedia outlets and far-right accounts claimed the "clothing brand" had cost 14 million euros. The figure, however, is the total budget for the whole commemorative programme, over 600 events, concerts, workshops, and activities, not for Dmocracia alone.
- Campaign videos released with influencers wearing Dmocracia clothes
- False claims spread on social media that the campaign cost 14 million euros
- Government denies the 14 million figure; confirms real cost is up to 386,000 euros
- Marina Rivera responds to Alvise Pérez's insults in a video
What the government actually spent
The Secretaría de Estado de Memoria Democrática has broken down the real costs. Production came to 185,215 euros: 112,783 euros for the garments, 59,680 euros for the photo sessions, 10,000 euros for design and consultancy, and 2,752 euros for storage, shipping, and cards. The budget for social media diffusion is capped at 193,900 euros, a figure not yet fully spent. In total, the campaign will cost at most 386,000 euros.
- Garments
- 112783 €
- Photo sessions
- 59680 €
- Design & consultancy
- 10000 €
- Storage & shipping
- 2752 €
- Social media diffusion (max)
- 193900 €
The government says this is below the average cost of its institutional campaigns. No money went to paid advertising on platforms like Meta or TikTok.
Political reaction and insults
Far-right MEP Alvise Pérez, leader of Se Acabó la Fiesta, commented on a post claiming the prime minister had "wasted" 14.6 million euros. He wrote:
That my female clone is so utterly stupid shames me. Please don't link me to this. At least the brand helps us better identify the morons.
Rivers responded in a video, criticising that political representatives have the freedom to insult her.
Political representatives like Alvise Pérez have the freedom to insult me.
Impact and reach
The campaign relied on 32 young content creators to go viral. In three weeks, the posts on @50enlibertad had over 4.2 million views, reaching more than 600,000 people, over 75% of them under 35. The government defends the approach: trying to reach this audience through traditional media would make no sense; in Dmocracia, "the medium is the message".
