BlogHer - Louis Vuitton - Comments

I don't see it that way...

alyssaroyse — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:17:54 -0500

As an artist, she has taken iconic images and reused them - not all that different from Warhol and Raushenberg and others who take iconic images and "alter" them. Any truly recognizable brand is going to be susceptible to such artistic reinterpretation - they are asking to be symbols, it is within the bound of art and reason to ask what they are symbols of.

That said, I don't see that picture as making LV responsible for anything, their bag is still being held up as being more valuable than things like food - which is precisely the branding WE have given them. My thoughts on the matter are still on my blog.

Perhaps most importantly, according to her website, there really is no lawsuit. It was an experiment to see how the world would take up the cause of an artist. Interesting. Personally, I'd feel a little betrayed by THAT little trick. But I still like the t-shirt and the questions it asks. Really, what's important to us?

___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE: A Web Site To Save The World

Start Her Up: A blog for Women Entrepreneurs

Playing with fire?

Vivremagazine — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:46:03 -0500

We wrote about this on April 3oth. The reality is that even as one tries to get the point of Nadia Plensers T.shirt, is that Louis Vuitton is not responsible for what is happening in Darfur.

The problems are caused by many but the resposibility is for ALL. LV cannot be made to bear responsibility for injustices carried out everywhere.

Why could she not take on Paris Hilton herself, Hollywood, Maserati, Bentley, Gucci, Coach (even more ubiquitous than LV) - she has a few dozen targets. She decided to take on the most obvious and consequently what she perceived to be the "easiest target - Louis Vuitton.

The judgement meted out by LV is indeed harsh, but Plesner is playing with fire. I dont know who is egging her on but this is a trademark, copyright lawsuit that we have seen coming for a while now. Plesner may end up paying the price for the copyright infringement LV has endured all this while.

I LOVE that t-shirt

alyssaroyse — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:46:04 -0500

It's funny, I blogged about this just this morning, and then came over here and here it is again. Though I was writing about the metaphors of the t-shirt, and other ways to think about the ripple effect of our commercial habits:

Every day I see people standing in line at the food bank by my house.
Young mothers, still children themselves, with babies in strollers and
a fake Louis Vuitton handbag slung over their shoulders. They know what
we value as a society. They can’t afford food, but my god the acquired
the fake status symbols that we require for someone to be valued. But I
don’t expect anyone to put that on a t-shirt.

I'm not a lawyer, don't know where she stands in terms of being able to keep prodcuing the t-shirts, but I love it..... hope it makes people think.

___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE: A Web Site To Save The World

Start Her Up: A blog for Women Entrepreneu