Image via Complex Original
In the heartiest helping of streetwear beef to date, Supreme is taking Leah McSweeney of Married to the MOB to court over her "Supreme Bitch" merchandise. An obvious flip of the box logo, founder James Jebbia is purportedly seeking $10 million in damages for copyright infringement. New York Mag picked up on the story, but instead of talking about the issues at hand, simply outlined a bunch of Supreme logo flips and concluded with a missive about the lawsuit.
McSweeney responded to the suit on her blog today, saying: "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. And it's why the Supreme Bitch message is so important."
Civil liberties lawyer and former ACLU director Normal Siegel has taken on McSweeney's case and signed on to act as co-counsel, along with Edward Rosenthal of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC, a firm specializing in trademark law. McSweeney concluded her statement saying: "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 fight hasn't been a pretty one, with Supreme telling retailers like Urban Outfitters and Karmaloop to stop carrying McSweeney's "Queen Bee" T-shirt, which made its debut in 2004 as part of Married to the MOB's first collection. We pored through the entire court docket, and brought you these legal gems. Brush up on your torts people, here are The 12 Greatest Moments of Supreme's Legal Battle With Leah McSweeney.
Girls vs. Boys
Leah McSweeney kicks things off by establishing Married to the MOB as a rebellious, girl-empowering streetwear brand. She accuses Supreme of being misogynistic with a "boys' club" attitude.
James Jebbia's Initial Consent
In 2004, James Jebbia approves the "Supreme Bitch" shirt and doesn't object to their sale. Except nine years later he sues McSweeney for millions of dollars.
A History of Reinterpretation
Also, Supreme itself has a history of flipping recognizable trademarks and logos in its own products.
Supreme Coca-Cola Label Flip T-shirt and Kate Moss T-shirt
Some examples of Supreme's past logo flips, like this Coca-Cola T-shirt, and the original Kate Moss tee based on a Calvin Klein ad.
Bitch, Please
If you didn't know, MOB stands for "Most Official Bitches." McSweeney is taking the term back, y'all!
Acknowledging the throne.
In which the U.S. Court System acknowledges Supreme as the best skateboard/fashion brand that ever was.
Girls vs. Boys, Pt. II
Another one of McSweeney's arguments is that Jebbia's admitted that Supreme doesn't make women's wear, but Married to the MOB specifically caters to humans with matching chromosomes.
Calling Out Campers
Hypebeasts, the legal system knows 'bout ya. Also note the legal terms for Supreme's business model: "Plaintiff creates an artificial scarcity that heightens demand and the sense of exclusivity."
In layman's terms: Supreme makes people go "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!"
Uncle Terry Cameo
Adding to McSweeney's "boys' club" argument is this quote from Terry Richardson, the fashion photographer you could totally take home to meet grandma (kidding), admits that his goal in shooting Supreme's 2003 calendar was "to put together a calendar you could jerk off too."
Pictures from Supreme's 2001 and 2003 Calendars
Sorry legal system, no boobs for you.
Box Logo vs. Barbara Kruger
Supreme facts confirmed: the logo is a flip on Barbara Kruger, and the typeface they use is Futura Bold Italic. IT'S IN A LEGAL DOCUMENT IT'S BINDING, PEOPLE.
Supreme Box Logo and Barbara Kruger Art
Notice any similarities here?
Married to the MOB's Debut
FYI: McSweeney designed and released her first streetwear collection when she was 22. Makes you feel old doesn't it?
Married to the MOB T-shirts from 2004.
Besides the first "Queen Bee" tees in the upper left, note the Dr. Dre reference on the bottom right tees: "Boys ain't shit but hoes and tricks."
Why did James Jebbia act now?
One of McSweeney's main arguments is that it took Jebbia nine years to act. In his defense, Jebbia claimed that he thought the shirt was going to be a one-off, similar to Supreme's business model. Instead, McSweeney's made it somewhat of a staple for her brand.
What are James Jebbia's actual rights?
It's also murky as to what kind of legal right Jebbia has to "Supreme." He admits in this Interview article that "It's a good name, but it's a difficult one to trademark."
Also notable, how he came up with the name Supreme: "I was just like 'Hey! That's a cool name for a store.'" And it is.
