March 30, 2015
A couple of years ago, visual artist Kesh did the near-impossible: She made American Apparel cool again, collaborating with the store on a capsule collection of bold graphic pieces. It was so unforgettable, the collection apparently stuck with the designers at Versace because the Italian fashion house just released their own take on one of the pieces. By their own take, I mean a blatant copy that substituted the Medusa head for Kesh's abstract face.
Kesh, who noticed the rip off right away, had this to say about the incident to The Cut:
I have always had a deep admiration for Versace. It's an iconic brand that has stood the test of time. I am deeply disappointed in this. This is not only artwork from a show that took me two years to develop and create. It is not only artwork from a collection that I created for American Apparel to provide something affordable and accessible to supporters of my work. But this is also my face! I can't understand how something like this could happen.
I am an independent artist and this is my work, my passion, my livelihood. I must stand up not only for myself, but for all the other independent artists who are being ravaged by these huge companies for nothing more than profit.