The battle between Just Cavalli and Northern California-based graffiti artists Jeffrey Rubin, Victor Chapa and Jason Williams continues to rage on. Rubin, Chapa and Williams claim that Just Cavalli ripped off some of their designs and incorporated them into its Spring 2014 collection without crediting them. What’s worse is that the plaintiffs say that Just Cavalli added its own graffiti-style tag in order to make it seem as if the design was original.
Of course, Just Cavalli wants most of the artists’ claims dismissed, on the basis that the graffiti artists failed to specify exactly which parts of their designs were ripped off and that the plaintiffs had “improperly expanded their complaint.” Sounds like someone’s making excuses on technicalities in order to avoid a payout. Just Cavalli says it was simply inspired by the graffiti, but looking at the prints the label lifted, the similarities are clear to see. Besides, if Just Cavalli wanted to create a graffiti art collection, why not hire a graffiti artist for the job so as to avoid a situation like this altogether? Or if Rubin, Chapa and Williams’ work was so dope and inspirational, why didn’t Just Cavalli contact them for a collaboration?
Yoox, Luisa Via Roma and Neiman Marcus have been added as defendants in this case, as they were selling the collection in question. Whether or not the retailers and Just Cavalli are guilty of any wrongdoing is up to the judge.
[via The Business of Fashion]
