Why e-Commerce brand known for Bengali-themed T-shirts chose the cockroach for its new collection

E-commerce brand Bongmade’s latest T-shirt collection inspired by the viral “Cockroach Janata Party” is not a political statement but a celebration of satire, humour and a remarkable cultural moment, say the brand’s partners.

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) is a satirical online movement and not a registered political party. It was born as a reaction to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s reported likening of unemployed youth to cockroaches. The CJI has since claimed that he was misquoted. But the movement has already gone viral.

It was this mass response which prompted Bongmade to come up with a collection centred on the cockroach symbol. The collection has quickly attracted attention online, with the brand's partners claiming that the initial response has exceeded some of their previous high-profile releases.

The Federal spoke to Sunando Banerjee and Gourav Ghosh, two of Bongmade's four partners, about the origins of the brand, the inspiration behind the collection and why they believe it transcends politics.

Brand origins

Bongmade began around four years ago as what the founders describe a "passion project".

According to Sunando Banerjee, the team, which also runs a marketing-advertising agency called Anonymous, wanted to create apparel that reflected their own ideas and interests.

“At that stage, Bengali T-shirts existed, but there were no organised players,” he said. “Since we were already a digital agency, we felt a digital-first approach would suit us best.”

The founders decided to launch an e-commerce-driven apparel business focused on Bengali identity, culture and storytelling. The company has continued to operate exclusively online and has no immediate plans to open physical stores.

Beyond Bengali themes

Although Bongmade is widely associated with Bengali culture, folklore, literature and cinema, Banerjee rejected the suggestion that the cockroach-themed collection represents a departure from the brand’s identity.

He argued that satire has long been an integral part of Bengali culture.

Referring to Bengali cultural icons such as Gaganendranath Tagore and Sukumar Ray, Banerjee said Bengali artistic traditions have historically blended humour, commentary and social observation.

“If you look at it from one angle, it may appear political. From another angle, it is pure humour,” he said.

The brand's partners said they were fascinated by the unexpected popularity of the cockroach symbol.

Banerjee noted that most people dislike cockroaches, making the emergence of a movement embracing the insect particularly striking.

“I have rarely met a person who likes cockroaches. Suddenly, millions of people seem to like a party whose symbol is a cockroach. That itself is a story,” he said.

Youth voices

While distancing the company from political affiliations, the duo said the phenomenon resonated because it reflected the energy and concerns of younger generations.

Banerjee said organisations should avoid adopting political positions, even if individuals within them hold differing personal views.

However, he emphasised that the company strongly supports the expression of youth voices.

He pointed to the widespread discussion generated by remarks comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches and said the resulting online movement demonstrated that younger people were willing to speak out collectively.

“We are encouraged by this sudden uprising of voices in a consolidated manner,” he said. “It gives us hope that this generation is not silent and is not politically inactive.”

The founders described the collection as a celebration of that moment rather than an endorsement of any political agenda.

Banerjee compared it to previous Bongmade releases inspired by major cultural events, including India’s cricket victories and films starring Shah Rukh Khan.

“T-shirts are current. People use them as a voice of their own,” he said. “We are not saying who is right or wrong. We are celebrating a moment.”

Designing a cockroach

Creating a T-shirt around one of the most disliked insects posed an unusual design challenge.

Gourav Ghosh acknowledged that transforming a cockroach into an appealing visual symbol required a different approach.

“It is a very disruptive idea because it is the opposite of what you want around you,” he said.

According to Ghosh, Bongmade’s design philosophy has always focused on disruption while remaining rooted in Bengali cultural sensibilities.

He argued that people are not wearing an insect but rather the idea associated with it.

“People don’t wear T-shirts. People wear statements,” he said. “They wear attitudes, opinions and states of mind.”

The goal, he explained, was to provide supporters of the movement with a way to express themselves.

Banerjee revealed that he himself had been initially sceptical about the concept and opposed the idea of placing a cockroach on a T-shirt.

However, he said Ghosh eventually convinced him by drawing comparisons with popular comic book symbols.

Ghosh argued that people do not wear Batman merchandise because they admire bats as animals. Instead, they embrace the symbol and what it represents.

“A cockroach can also become a hero at times,” Banerjee recalled him saying.

Strong response

The collection went live shortly before the interview and has already generated encouraging results, according to the founders.

Banerjee compared it favourably to one of the brand’s previous Shah Rukh Khan-themed releases.

“The response to the cockroach collection is a little better than the response to a Shah Rukh Khan movie T-shirt,” he said.

A revealation that would be heartbreaking for many Shah Rukh Khan fans

No political concerns

The founders confirmed that they had not discussed the collection with Abhijit Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janata Party.

Banerjee said the company first checked whether any copyright protections existed around the symbol and, finding none, proceeded with the designs.

He added that the founders did not personally know Dipke and felt he was likely too occupied with the sudden popularity of the movement.

Asked whether they feared political backlash, particularly given reports that the party’s X account had been suspended, the founders said the possibility did not significantly influence their decision.

Instead, they expressed confidence in the public’s ability to recognise satire and humour.

“I think we have 100 per cent faith in Bengali sensibility and their sense of humour,” Ghosh said.

The duo stressed that they were careful to ensure the designs remained social and satirical rather than overtly political.

For Bongmade, they said, the collection is ultimately about capturing a unique cultural moment and turning it into a wearable expression of public conversation.

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