Do you know how I ran across
this article in The Cut
telling me I can't get that Rachel Zoe shirt I wanted?
I had finally decided to buy one!
Boooooooooooooo and thrice boo.
You may recall this brilliant, Rachel Zoe–inspired "Bananas" shirt designed by artist Christopher Sauvé. If you haven't gotten yours yet, it doesn't look like you're going to. Sauvé just received a cease-and-desist letter from Zoe's lawyer. It turns out "I die" and "Bananas" are trademarked. Oh, excuse us — that would be I DIE™ and BANANAS™. We don't want to get sued. That would be BANANAS™.WeI DIE™.
Sauvé had only made 25 shirts and was planning to sell them in very limited distribution online and at Seven boutique. "As a huge fan of Rachel Zoe I feel very sad that I couldn't express myself artistically with BANANAS™ and my fascination with reality television," Sauvé told us. I DIE™..."She uses celebrities every day to promote herself, and then she won't let a poor artist in the city do it in a huge recession with all these layoffs?"
*Le Groan.*
Just think ... you were going to buy a tee-shirt. Meaning: Rachel would have been marketed (for free!) twice.
ReplyDeleteFirst, by the tee-shirt seller - costing her absolutely nothing and getting her goo-gobs of attention.
Second, by YOU; because you would have worn a Rachel Zoe-inspired tee-shirt. So you, too, would have been a Rachel Zoe marketer! Can you imagine the number of people who would have asked you ... Who is Rachel Zoe? Please don't tell me that she thinks she's a household name! These same people would have asked ... What's with the "I die. Bananas" thing?
Good Lord!
And, none of this would have cost her any money or effort, shirt-wise or otherwise?
You mean to tell me that her name and popularity would have been marketed 100% for FREE?
Oooo ... Rachel better read Seth Godin!
Cos honey, she DON'T get it!
Wow! That's tragic. She's not making one cent (upfront or on the back end) off of other people - known as "free employees", "working" on her behalf (whether intended or not) to market her, thus helping her to build her brand!
That's just dumb.
Some people ... just don't get it.
PS I've linked your post here: Rachel Zoe IS Bananas!.
Silly question: Are we (you and I) going to be threatened to be sued, too?
Or, do they realize that we're covered by the First Amendment ("Freedom of Speech")?
Guess we better "lawyer up", huh? Ha!
Like I said ...
Some people ... just don't get it.