* * *the post below is purely my opinion. It's not meant to provoke or start any arguements. I just thought I'd share my point of view with you all since I was asked to do so. My intention is not offend or anger anyone-just to look at some different sides of the issue that I feel aren't being discussed. I am not speaking for anyone but myself here. I hope it doesn't sound too ranty.I will be back to regular, normal, happy blogging tomorrow .
So this is a post I really did not want to write.
It would be easiest to just shy away from the topic, keep posting photos and move on. You know, most of me would like to do that.
But this weekend I received an email from Jan of Poppytalk and she asked me to post about this issue (You can read Poppytalk's response here.).
(editied 5/31/11 at 3:15pm-hey guys. Just wanted to make it clear that this post is mine-a different side of the issue than what is discussed on the Poppytalk blog. These are my opinions regarding the events that transpired, not neccessarily a rebuttal to their post. Jan and Earl did not say they support or not support a boycott, it was general masses of people on twitter, facebook, blogs and the article I link to below speaks of boycott.)
So what is this all about? Well, by now if you read blogs or have a twitter account you’ve probably heard all the hullabaloo about Urban Outfitter’s stealing a design from this etsy maker.
On the surface- a boycott of Urban Outfitters seems like something I’d be willing to jump behind. First of all, I’ve shopped there only a handful of times and have mostly ended up with poorly made goods I felt I paid too much for. To me, shopping at a store that specializes in on trend merchandise seems pointless. I don’t have a lot of cash-but I’d rather spend it on quality goods that I know will last. Also, I’m pushing thirty and I feel like most of their goods are made for teenagers. So it wouldn’t be that hard for me to boycott them, I don’t really shop there anyway.
But you know, everything is not so simple, so black or white so right or wrong. What giant, big box store (JC Penny, Wal Mart, Target, Kohl’s, Gap, Forever 21, Payless Shoes, etc, etc) doesn’t take trends they see and use them to create products? Isn’t that the point of most of these stores? They see trends on runways/ from designers/ in street fashion and make super cheap versions for the general American public to consume…isn’t that what they do? I’m not saying it’s right, to the contrary-I’m just saying that I thought this was their business model. They knock off designs and have products made with cheap overseas labor and hawk it to the general public. I feel like most people don’t have a problem with shopping at places like this-they want a trendy piece for a bargain. And you know-that may not always be my personal point of view-but a huge majority of American consumers are ok with this model-and they have a right to their opinion. Do American consumers really not know by now that most of these stores steal designs and use a lot of sweat shop labor?
To me, it’s not really a shocker to see a giant corporation like Urban Outfitter’s selling goods that look similar to popular, trendy etsy items. But does it mean that a designer who made that necklace for Urban “Stole” it from Truche? I’m not entirely sure of it. I am sure that if I were Truche, I would be bummed when I saw the necklace at Urban.
I’ve had instances where I’ve seen blog readers/flickr friends take almost an *exact* copy of a photo I’ve taken and it makes my stomach burn…But I also know that there is something called collective consciousness and those photos I may see that look similar to mine are probably just because we like the same style and go to the same types of places. I’ve taken a photo only to notice later a contact of mine may have taken a similar one years ago. Did I steal it from them? No…maybe we just both like taking photos of coffee cups.
In fashion trends come and go. You’ll see the same type of striped tee at Gap, Urban, American Eagle, Forever 21 all at the same time. These things happen. So when I saw this regretsy post-it made a lot of sense to me. Personally, I don’t think that someone can “own” a state charm design with a heart in it. That is just the way that I see it. The design is very simple and I really do not believe that all these designers were stealing from one another.
If I were to buy one of these-I would love to buy it from Truche; she’s an awesome gal (she was one of my very first blog sponsors years ago). I think her necklaces are the best looking and I know she takes pride in what she makes.
Now there are cases where illustrators and artists have had their exact designs lifted and used for goods with several different big box retailers. Of course I am against blatant copyright infringement. I recently had a friend who went through this issue with Free People and you know what? Once Free People realized that one of their designers stole from my friend-they removed the design, apologized and made good with my friend. I gotta say, that’s pretty admirable.
You know, I won’t fully support an Urban Outfitter’s boycott because-believe it or not-to me, they do a lot of GOOD for “the handmade community”. They’ve bought artwork from several independent artists who started out on etsy (or are still there). Artists like Lisa Congdon, Ashley G, Leah Duncan, Laura Lombardi, Erica Weiner and many, many more. What does it mean for a small indie artist when Urban buys their work? I’m guessing a decent paycheck and a large amount of exposure nation wide. And I am thinking that that is pretty darn cool. I know what it’s like to quit your day job and try to sell your art to support yourself. It is really, really, REALLY tough sometimes. So I am SO glad for these artists that they were able to get deals and exposure through this national store. Does it mean that I need to go and buy stuff at Urban? No. But do I think it’s cool that some 18 year old who is decorating their dorm room can by a big piece of Leah Duncan’s art for an affordable price from Urban? Yeah, I think that is pretty dang neat. Do I think these are "token" artists the corporation uses to save face? No, I really and truly don't. If you believe that-that's fine. You have the right to believe that. Hopefully some of the people who buy these artisan goods will google the artist that made it and maybe find out for the first time about this hand made world so many of us bloggers are lucky enough to be a part of. Is that all bad? Not to me.
Do you see other stores doing this? Yes, I know that Urban’s sister company Anthropologie has bought goods made by Twigs & Honey, Forestbound, Paloma’s nest, Girls Can Tell and countless others. And I know in the past Anthro was accused of copying, too. So what to say to this? Only that once again, nothing is so right or so wrong, especially when it comes to big giant corporations and business. But as for me-I’m going to be happy that those stores have given friends and colleagues the chance to make some money and gain national exposure for their brands. I’m not going to buy goods from those stores that I think are knock offs (ahem to the Cody & Foster line Anthropologie carried during the holidays) or made in sweat shops. But I do think it’s great that I could go into those big box stores and buy handmade items and support friends and colleges.
Basically I believe the most important thing we can do as “consumers” is vote with our dollars. If you want to support hand made-go do it. You probably don’t need me to tell you to boycott Urban Outfitter’s-you probably don’t go there anyway. It is very easy to say “corporations are bad” and hand made artist are good” but there are corporations trying to do good and plenty of etsy sellers who just knock off designer goods, too. So, as we “vote with our dollars” we must realize that perhaps what’s “bad” is not all bad and what’s “good” is not always good. I believe the key is making informed decisions before jumping on a bandwagon.
So what am I saying with this whole mess? Do I believe that Urban Outfitter’s and Anthropologie have lifted design aspects from indie artists before? Yes. Do I think it’s right? No. Do I think that every other major retailer in the US does the same? Yes, I do. This is why I choose to shop almost always local, hand made or thrift when I can. I'll admit it, though-sometimes I just can't afford to do so.
Do I believe that Urban Outfitter’s and Anthropologie are all bad? No, I don’t. I’m happy that they have indeed supported many indie artists. Do I believe that all etsy artists have only original ideas and never copy one another? Not for one second.
So what do I think is a solution?
Once again I think as consumers it’s our responsibility to think and research before we buy and invest in products that we believe in no matter who is selling them. I find it constructive to point these things out, talk about them in a non-hateful manner and to also look at all sides of the issue. It's easy to point fingers and play the blame game-but we must also step above that and think of solutions for how we can survive in this modern world.
