We have seen various allegations from artists regarding ripping off their art for their ad campaigns without giving them royalty or crediting them for the work. Sometimes, the artists are not even aware that their work has been used until when the ad is seen by them. In the past, artists such as Brad Troemel and Barbara Kruger have accused Vika Gazinskaya and Supreme respectively of lifting their work without their notice. Now, the same allegation has been levied on Gucci which is a huge fashion brand and is not known for doing such things.
These charges are levied by an artist based in Vancouver named Sharona Franklin who has said that the fashion brand Gucci has ripped off her art. It is known that Sharona runs a famous Instagram handle named @paid.technologies on which she posts her work on a regular basis. She claims that her work which is related to the form of jelly cakes of the kind that can be served for dessert has been lifted by the brand without any consent. She says that her work also alludes to DNA therapies and medical treatments that she has received for multiple chronic illnesses.
As per her claim, Gucci’s latest campaign titled as ‘Cruise 2020’ has a pastel-toned jelly structure surrounded by flowers and silver trays and tablecloths which is very similar to her work which involves cakes made with animal cells which is being used to treat people with her disability.
Gucci was contacted by ARTnews and they said that “Brightly coloured jellies have been used previously by Gucci as a campaign decoration and have often been incorporated in designs throughout the years by different artists and chefs. Each selection process—for a campaign, for a show, for an event—consists of a series of phases before an artist is chosen for collaboration. We do not always proceed with every artist we approach for consideration for a variety of reasons that can be logistical, technical, or time-related.”
