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Adventures in Copyright Dec 12, 2008 @ 1:53pm

Adventures in Copyright: Tribute or Trouble?

by Britt Aboutaleb

rip ysl tee.jpg When I interned for a British designer my senior year of college, we planned a major, major, party.

The ridiculously gorgeous event planner showed up wearing a gray YSL sweatshirt with a giant navy blue logo - it was the one time wearing a logo appealed to me.

There’s something so iconic and almost graceful about the YSL logo but there’s something morbid about this t-shirt designed by artist Brian Lichtenberg. It sells on Blood is the New Black - or it did before it sold out.

Lichtenberg’s woven his own RIP label to mirror Yves’ and done both a black on white and white on black version. We get that it’s in tribute to the man but the tribute lacks taste.

Does it sit well with you? And more importantly, would you actually wear it?

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posted by guest

Dec 12, 2008 2:18PM

Brian Lichtenberg. . .not Stein

posted by guest

Dec 12, 2008 2:43PM

sits fine with me, must be a slow news day.

posted by guest

Dec 12, 2008 2:44PM

it is parody (and such, most likely legal). it seems tacky now because it's so fresh in the mind, but later people would look at this differently. there's plenty of musicians who write about other dead musicians and artists who paint about dead people, political figures, etc. time seems to soften the sting a bit. right now though, yeah that image is pretty provocative.

posted by guest

Dec 12, 2008 3:58PM

it's very displeasing to a designer's eye, too. the font is obviously not the same. (is there a YSL font?) yuck yuck yuck

posted by guest

Dec 12, 2008 4:09PM

it's about as bad as that fashion shoot featuring a bunch of models acting like they were crying at YSL's funeral.

posted by guest

Dec 12, 2008 5:34PM

i actually have it and bought it as a tribute for sure. Not at all from disrespect. to each is own though, they say...

posted by guest

Dec 12, 2008 9:47PM

go look on karmaloop.com, there's usually a fair amount of tees and hoodies with LV, YSL, Chanel, and Gucci symbols present in some mannerism on them.

posted by guest

Dec 12, 2008 10:20PM

http://data.tumblr.com/eiAbVQY7Vh2aia7vtgix2f58o1_400.jpg

link above has a t-shirt, very similar, from ksubi

posted by sarim2

Dec 13, 2008 5:41AM

horrible. leave it at YSL and i think that would have been a much better tribute... it lacks taste to commemorate the respective person and the brand and image he created.

posted by sarim2

Dec 13, 2008 5:41AM

horrible. leave it at YSL and i think that would have been a much better tribute... it lacks taste to commemorate the respective person and the brand and image he created.

posted by guest

Dec 13, 2008 8:49AM

I appreciate the humour but the similar font used to write RIP looks like Brian Lich..was"trying too hard" - spoils the fun

posted by guest

Dec 13, 2008 8:56AM

frankly it's pathetic to use tragedy in the pursuit of a bit more cash and press. Not sitting well with me.

posted by guest

Dec 13, 2008 9:12AM

it's not a similar font it's the same font DUH

posted by guest

Dec 13, 2008 10:32AM

#1 It does say Lichtenberg not Lichenstein

#12 It's not the first tribute t-shirts have been made to celebrate public figures who have passed on

posted by Sea of Style

Dec 13, 2008 12:23PM

I think it's a bit distasteful and tacky. It seems the designers had his heart in the right place, but the tribute didn't seem to materialize.

posted by guest

Dec 13, 2008 3:07PM

the shirt has been taken out of context of an entire series... its def a tribute, but brian has been playing with iconic designer logos, etc. for a little while now.

i bought the shirt and I LOVE it. The message seems to read across the board as tribute, and put in context of brian's work, it also falls in the category of art.

Fact is, if the YSL team had made it, I would've gotten it from them, and I bet they're quietly scoffing that they didn't think of it first! haha

posted by guest

Dec 15, 2008 9:15AM

YUCK!

posted by Tricky

Dec 15, 2008 9:19AM

I like.

posted by guest

Dec 15, 2008 9:54AM

Sad to see people trying to make a buck out of YSL's passing and legacy without the request or permission to do so. Very distasteful and disrespectful! I wouldn't wear it even if it was given to me for free.

posted by guest

Dec 16, 2008 3:36AM

HAYYYY
I WOULD TOTALLY BY IT IF IT SAID :
OMG YSL
OR
LOL YSL
OR
WTF YSL
OR
TMI YSL
OR
KIT YSL

BUT
RIP YSL IS SOO OBVIOUS CUZ HES LIKE DEAD AND STUFF! RIGHT???

posted by guest

Dec 16, 2008 3:16PM

brian lichtenberg is a genius.

posted by guest

Dec 16, 2008 10:13PM

i went into the ysl on maiden today in sf and told the sales lady who was helping me try on a blue crushed velvet jacket about this little shirt and she laughed and said that "he [yves saint laurent] would understand"

posted by guest

Dec 19, 2008 4:35PM

absolutely not.

posted by guest

Dec 19, 2008 10:14PM

Say what u will but all of you are giving so much press to Lichtenberg and that is obviously what this shirt was designed for . . . PR darling. . . . .. . . POINT TO BL