The Gray Lady sent DUMBO-based tees-and-hoodies manufacturer Neighborhoodies a cease and desist letter recently concerning their use of the Herald Tribue logo -- the very same one Rodarte also recently used for a collaborative tee.
Interestingly, both Rodarte and Neighborhoodies were inspired by the same iconic look: Jean Seberg in Jean-Luc Godard's 1966 classic, "Breathless," wearing a slim tee emblazoned with the International Herald Tribune's logo. (In the picture above, the moment in the film is paired with the Neighborhoodies shirt.) While Neighborhoodies has been producing a tee with the logo for two years or more, Rodarte only recently used the logo to promote the 50th anniversary of the movie in partnership with Rialto Pictures.
The Neighborhoodies' response has been far from passive -- on the contrary, the company's blog even insists: "We're tired of being bullied, so we're not going to take this shirt down."
Unfortunately, the shirt is no longer online -- a product, says The New York Post, of the Neighborhoodies' server company, who heard about the scandal and wants no part of it. Co-owner Elissa Shevinsky told the Post, however, that the company would continue to sell the shirts out of its brick-and-mortar store at 26 Jay Street in DUMBO.
UPDATE: The Rodarte tees were designed in collaboration with both Rialto Pictures and the International Herald Tribune, therefore the designers were, of course, allowed to use the logo freely for the tee.
