A mass-produced version of his DIY Flipper t-shirt? Yup, Cobain’s definitely rolling around in his grave.
Forever 21 has a well-established reputation for ripping off independent designers and selling blatant copies of their work to a mass-market audience for a drastically reduced price. That’s not exactly news.
But they just took it to a whole new place, ripping off the handmade Flipper t-shirt that Kurt Cobain wore on SNL in 1992. He made it by drawing on a plain t-shirt with marker — petty much the pinnacle of the DIY punk tee. But now you can buy a sweatshop-produced version for $16.90. That’s pretty much the opposite of the DIY punk ethos.
This is definitely not the first time a corporate brand has co-opted something independent and re-branded it as an attempt to capture some faux form of rebellion — it’s not even the first time Forever 21 has done it. They had a scuffle with the ’80s punk band Minor Threat a couple of years ago when they ripped their logo off for a t-shirt.
But this one feels especially egregious. Maybe it’s because it’s Cobain. Or maybe it’s because it’s Forever 21, and there couldn’t be a clothing brand farther away from the very concept and spirit behind the original shirt. It’s also hilariously ironic how a brand that prints Bible verses on their bags and whose owner likes to tout his Christian ideals appears to have no problem whatsoever with stealing when it makes them money.
Whatever it is, if you really want to wear a Flipper tee, buy a plain shirt and a Sharpie and make it yourself. Or better yet, come up with something different.
December 01, 2011 at 12:06 am, Stanflouride said:
We were making Flipper shirts in SF years before Cobain was. Bruce Loose wore one our friend Mark made for him on stage in Seattle.
December 01, 2011 at 4:30 pm, Festerfaceplant said:
and….Stan is on the cover of the very first Flipper record from 1979! “SF UNDERGROUND #1!”
December 01, 2011 at 12:16 am, Butts said:
you publicizing it is the stuff that made him kill himself.
December 01, 2011 at 12:51 am, Anonymous said:
well, he’s dead now. so..?
December 01, 2011 at 4:19 am, ILOVEFLIPPER!! said:
Shouldn’t the band FLIPPER be more worried about this than Kurt…it is the band Flipper’s logo afterall…who were around way before Nirvana. Kurt was wearing THEIR logo!! UGH!
December 01, 2011 at 4:56 am, Cbm13 said:
Actually, Forever 21 is infringing on the copyright of Flipper.
December 01, 2011 at 8:24 am, Anonymous said:
Does the band Flipper know about this?
December 01, 2011 at 12:49 pm, Adam said:
Yes, and they’re not happy. I found out about this from Ted Falconi’s Facebook.
December 01, 2011 at 1:08 pm, ILOVEFLIPPER!! (TishaMay) said:
Good…I hope they sue. I also think the reporter who wrote this article should have done their homework….I hate people.
December 01, 2011 at 1:10 pm, ILOVEFLIPPER!!TishaMay said:
Liza….go listen to Generic Flipper. Pfft….If you’re gonna report something, know your facts.
December 01, 2011 at 2:38 pm, Anonymous said:
I actually died this to the BAND Flipper … I (if I ever knew) forgot about Cobain wearing a Flipper t-shirt … I got a pin around here somewhere w/ the original logo from the band as seen on Sex Bomb 7″ single. There are differences but I am not sure if this is really ripping off Cobain since evidently he was copying the band logo.
December 01, 2011 at 8:56 pm, Kristen Lowman said:
they’re ripping off both. Cobain wasn’t stealing the logo, he was promoting the band, who he loved.
December 01, 2011 at 5:19 pm, soWhat said:
Big deal. Cobain was ripping off John Lennon, The Pixies, Motorhead, David Bowie, Zeitgeist, The Beatles, Thin Lizzy, etc., etc., etc.
December 01, 2011 at 9:57 pm, Brentlowell said:
You are truly sour on a grand level, must be jealous or dropped as a baby anyway you spin it, there is stormy weather…not going away ANYTIME soon…
December 02, 2011 at 8:02 am, Guest said:
“Stephen De Pace: REALITY CHECK…. Death and Taxes has published this article WITHOUT ANY FACT CHECKING. Not to mention that they are far more concerned with Kurt Cobain being ripped of than they are about Flipper. Even our own singer Bruce Loose, jumped the gun and is shouting that we have been ripped off… People talk a lot of shit in this world and make a lot of accusations without checking facts. This design has been licensed to a company that sells the shirt to a lot of different retail outlets. The latest happens to be Forever 21. And FLIPPER is getting paid. Thank you all for your concern!!!
There have been several blogs and lots of concerned Flipper fans, who we appreciate bringing this to our attention. I myself, was informed about the license deal after shit started hitting the fan. According to the blogs, Forever 21 has a sorted reputation when it comes to licensing designs from independent artists. I was not aware of any of this, until yesterday. In this instance, the retailer has gone through proper channels and has licensed this FLIPPER shirt from a company that represents this particular design on our behalf.
Again, I would like to express our appreciation from our fans for letting us know about the shirt being for sale at Forever 21. It is on the up and up, at least this time…. I have seen many bootleg Flipper shirts over the years, but at least this time, Flipper is getting a proper piece of the pie. And if some kids happen to buy a Flipper shirt, and decide they want to know more about Flipper, seek us out and find our music, that is fine with me….”
December 02, 2011 at 8:11 am, Anonymous said:
The shirt is no longer for sale.