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Adventures in Copyright
Adventures in Copyright
Adventures in Copyright: Givenchy Hearts Ziggy Stardust
By Leah Chernikoff
A reader sent in this tip (and commenter Jane picked up on it too) noting the obvious influence of a Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie on Givenchy’s Spring 2010 collection.
Bowie rocked a striped blazer during the ’70s that was strikingly similar to Givenchy’s popular graphic black and white striped jacket–right down to the angular psychedelic striping on the lapels. It’s a popular piece from the collection, and, as we pointed out earlier, Zara and Anthropologie have created similar styles, which are in stores now.
But since the rock god wore his striped lapels about 40 years ago, is Givenchy’s blazer more inspired than imitation?
Tags: David Bowie, Givenchy
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I think it is just inspiration.
No. Time doesn't erase imitation. People are more forgiving, though, when there is a considerable gap of time.
honestly i'd just call this a tribute to a rock god — bowie's style is iconic and a great reference
Zara's also got a striped wedge in-stores now that VERY Givenchy SS10 reminiscent– i'll try and get you guys a Twitpic!
Givenchy ripped it off. They saw it, they liked it, they reproduced it. It doesn't matter if they are a leading international fashion brand, it's still a knock off and they should get the same crap you give the fast fashion companies.
You can't call this inspiration when the Givenchy jacket is pretty much an exact replica of the one Bowie wore. Seriously, there's no difference.
If the point is that the Givenchy designers are lacking in creativity, then sure, they deserve the same crap; but it seems to me that the point of these AIC posts is that often one company is taking profits away from another, which obviously isn't the case here, as the original blazer was made in the early 70's and certainly is not still being manufactured.
http://loublog.tumblr.com/
who doesn't love ziggy????? everyone 'pulls' inspiration from all sorts of places, which means you'll see this exact jacket for 1/100th the price at your neighborhood zara and H&M this fall.
The person who should be offended is Freddi Buretti who made all of Bowie's suits during that era.
i state again that no one who is actually going to buy a givenchy blazer for thousands of dollars is going to decide that the one from zara is only $80 so they will buy that instead. so how is zara taking away money from givenchy? I just don't see it as the same customers
a) its missing the black block outlining on the top of the collar. and b) an icon as indisputabley fashion changing as ziggy is bound to have duplications along the way. how many new versions have we seen of audrey hepburns dresses?
madamemisfit.tumblr.com
I don't know anything about Freddi Buretti and I'm a long, longtime Bowie fan! Googling him turned up practically nothing—who is this fabulous man(?) and what happened to him? Did he/she design for others?
I also think of Beetlejuice every time I see this jacket. More of a child of the 80's than the 70's, I guess. In any case, it's hideous, whoever it's ripping off.
agreed. i'm not sure what's up with all this legal and ethical nitpicking blogged about here lately. picking on this designer or that writer . . . by all means, call the person who designed this unoriginal, but not criminal. i feel similarly about the blasberg post; it's ok to say his opinions are biased and unworthy of consideration, but don't say he should lose his job for breach of an ethical code without checking the terms of his employment contract. but i guess that's part of this biz, everyone loves to posture and pick, always fearing they'll either get pushed out of or never make it into this competitive, barely remunerative industry . . .
i wanna know too! tell us more!
No different if it were Forever 21 ripping off Givenchy. Except of course your attitude towards F21.
This copy was well spotted by your reader. I loved this jacket when looking at the Givenchy collection, but didn't recognise it as a Bowie costume. David Bowie is such an icon and there are so many historical photographs floating around of him that I find it difficult to believe that it wasn't a direct steal. The striped blazer is a classic but this is a distinctive take on the theme. Would love to know more about the original designer.
Thomas, liked your post. Do you have any more info?
Thanks for the tip Thomas!