This is not the first time that white nationalists and other members of the so-called alt-right have chosen particular products to co-opt or endorse. For years, the British clothing line Fred Perry has been dogged by its affiliation with skinheads, who seemed to favor its polo shirts as a sort of uniform, along with Dr. Martens, the makers of steel-toed boots. Fred Perry has denounced racist groups.

When an advertising campaign by the skin care brand Nivea this spring used the tagline “White is purity” to promote its line of streak-proof deodorants, it became widely circulated on social media accounts for white supremacists, prompting the company to pull the ad.

Even the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League issued a statement after an adaptation of its team logo appeared on posters in the Charlottesville rally, reportedly wielded by members of a Michigan white nationalist group calling itself the Detroit Right Wings.

“The Detroit Red Wings vehemently disagree with and are not associated in any way with the event taking place today in Charlottesville, Va.,” the team said in a statement. “We are exploring every possible legal action as it pertains to the misuse of our logo in this disturbing demonstration.”

The Tiki torches were probably just a matter of convenience, said Joan Donovan, lead researcher in media manipulation at the research institute Data & Society, who studies hate groups and white supremacists. Torches have long been associated with the Ku Klux Klan, but those used in the past were far more likely to be homemade.