STREETWEAR
Supreme Sues Married to the Mob
In the latest streetwear news, there is a brewing feud between known skate inspired brand Supreme and women’s urban label Married to the Mob (MOB).
Owner of Supreme, 49-year-old James Jebbia, is filing a lawsuit against Married to the Mob owner, Leah McSweeney, for $10 million USD. Jebbia claims McSweeney’s “sampling of intellectual property” over her premiere tee design is an infringement on his trademark rights.
McSweeney debuted the tee in 2004, where it was actually carried by one of Jebbia’s stores, Union, and became a staple piece for the empowering, feminist driven street brand that MOB has carried through out the years.
In response to the mail dominated skate and street industry, McSweeney used the same font style as Supreme which actually derived from conceptual artist Barbara Kruger, who is known for her witty quips and stylistic “Futura-font-on-red.”
McSweeney said, “The design has always been to make fun of the misogynistic vibe of Supreme and the boys who wear it. Bottom line is this: I don’t think Supreme should be able to squash free speech or my right to utilize parody in my design aesthetic. It’s one of the most powerful ways for me to comment on the boy’s club mentality that’s pervasive in the streetwear/skater world. The fact that Supreme is coming after MOB and me personally is just another example of the hostility that MOB — the first women’s street wear brand — has faced from Day 1.
Civil liberties attorney Norman Siegel agreed to take my case and act as co-counsel along with Edward Rosenthal of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC, a law firm that specializes in trademark issues. This isn’t a fight I went out looking for, but I have no choice other than to fight back. Because right now, it’s about more than just a t-shirt!”
The “Supreme B...” tee shirt in question has created quite a response.
The New York Magazine pointed to a few interesting facts where Supreme has appropriated a few of its own looks from other caricatures such as Speedy Gonzalez and L.A. Kings inspired logo, some of which were not licensed, but added its own twist and play on the images. And when approached about the same use of conduct, Jebbia stated he “deals with it and makes it right.”
So why now, after years have passed, is Jebbia taking action?
In January, McSweeney filed a trademark application for the specialty tee. Two months later, Supreme sued McSweeney for the aforementioned amount, demanding she remove the items from retailers. Jebbia stated McSweeney is “trying to build her whole brand by piggybacking off Supreme.”
Speaking of branding, Kruger had her own response to the recent event where she spoke to Complex magazine about originality. It seems only fitting since both designers used Kruger’s work as a means of ‘inspiration.’
The publication reached out to her and received a blank email with a note attached stating how she felt about the absurdity and riduculusness of “uncool jokers,” she said. Kruger continued “I make my work about this kind of sadly foolish farce. I’m waiting for all of them to sue me for copyright infringement.”
