Giorgio Armani asks Zevs 600k euros to clean store front
Giorgio Armani always hated graffiti writers: in 2006, he already declared that they should be closed in jail, bacause they always dirten his storefront in Milano, and they are criminals (obviously writers immediately stroke back with a big tag “Giorgio do you like graffiti?” on his 26 meters billboard in the center of Milano).
His position seems a little bit dumb, provided that most fashion stylist work everyday with graffiti artists: like Louis Vuitton, for instance.
Now, what happened is that the parisian street artist Zevs (Christophe Schwarz) painted one of his famous liquidated logos (a Chanel one) on the Armani’s boutique in Honk Kong. Giorgio Armani asks for a 600.000€ refund.
Hong Kong police got Zevs’ passport and he cannot leave the country. His father is in Milano (!) trying to speak to Giorgio Armani’s lawyers (oh daddy, they caught me in a 600k euros bombing action, could you save me?). Zevs wasn’t obviously able to attend to his HK’s exhibition.
As funny and gay the situation sounds, there is no doubt that (1) Zevs art is mostly well-thought and surely worth supporting, (2) Giorgio Armani is *really* asking for a surreal and exaggerate compensation and (3) this whole issue is totally hypocrite.
Because fashion always used (and abused) street art when they needed it, and they should bare its obvious downside (plain vandalism). Because a Zevs’ piece is worth some respect (in the street) and money (in the gallery).
But, most of all, because you CANNOT put a 26 meters advertising in the center of the city, and then complain about an artist’ illegal installation. It’s not about legality-illegality: it’s about competing on visual spam.
A lot of people (Sole24Ore – South China Morning Post – GlobArtMag – Corriere) is talking about it. Bad advertising for Armani, that confirms being a fascist brand.
Giorgio è arrabbiato perchè Zevs gli ha dipinto sul negozio il logo della concorrenza!
Imagine your tag being crossed by someone else: I know you could kill for it! That’s what happened to Armani. Zevs crossed Armani with his artwork (street artist’s tag… or not?!?), that try exactly to criticize famous brands, offering a different point of view of their logos and now he’s so sad to be in big troubles. Maybe he thought Armani would have been honored by his (water) paint, what could have happened?!? Maybe Zevs thought it’s just a game… street artists aren’t like writers, they are so trendy, they are artists that want to make people reflect about important things, they sell artworks – they’re not vandals… they can go during the night in the most expensive and patrolled streets of the city and do what they like to do: you can’t hurt them like that! Maybe he thought: hey, tomorrow (coincidence!) there’s my gallery show opening, what a great new idea to do something everybody can talk about… maybe if I’m lucky I get arrested immediatly before the opening as it has happened to Fairey (and others): media will love it!
Please don’t say I’m jelous ’cause you know I love street art and I already have documented for years what Armani did and sayd in Milano… and I like Zev’s artwork too (I probably love everything dripping…), it’s just that sometimes some news sound really too boring to me… Armani had bad advertising but Zevs too, to me. But you know, advertising doesn’t have to be good. They both are just doing their own branding, nothing special. Problem is Armani doesn’t seem to have enough sense of humor. I only hope that Armani will demonstrate a little bit of intelligence in this story, he already obtained what he wanted (Zevs too?!?).