Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Graffiti Artist Banksy Opens Home Goods Store To Troll Greeting Card Company's Legal Dispute

Graffiti Artist Banksy Opens Home Goods Store To Troll Greeting Card Company's Legal Dispute
The window of Gross Domestic Product (Banksy/PA)

Graffiti artist Banksy says he has been forced to open his own home goods store following a legal dispute involving a greeting card company.


The new store, called Gross Domestic Product, will span the windows of a former south London carpet shop and sell a range of “impractical and offensive" merchandise created by the artist.

In a statement, Banksy said the motivation behind the venture, on Church Street in Croydon, is “possibly the least poetic reason to ever make some art."

He said: “A greetings cards company is contesting the trademark I hold to my art, and attempting to take custody of my name so they can sell their fake Banksy merchandise legally.

“I think they're banking on the idea I won't show up in court to defend myself."

Welcome mats made from life vests salvaged from the shores of the Mediterranean (Banksy/PA)

Items being sold in the shop include a Union Jack stab-proof vest, worn by the rapper Stormzy during his Glastonbury performance, and a model of Frosted Flakes cereal mascot Tony the Tiger, re-imagined as a rug.

Welcome mats made from life vests salvaged from the shores of the Mediterranean, which have been hand-stitched by women in detainment camps in Greece, are also on display.

Mark Stephens, an arts lawyer and founder of the Design and Artists Copyright Society, is advising Banksy on what he describes as “frankly ludicrous litigation."

Merchandise in the shop window of the homeware store (Banksy/PA)

He said: “Banksy is in a difficult position because he doesn't produce his own range of shoddy merchandise and the law is quite clear – if the trademark holder is not using the mark, then it can be transferred to someone who will."

As a solution to the issue, Stephens proposed that Banksy began his own range of merchandise and opened a shop.

Stephens said the card company, who he refused to name, initiated the legal proceedings about 12 months ago.

Although people will be able to visit the store for the next two weeks, its doors will never open and the lights will remain on 24 hours a day.

Banksy said:

“The proceeds from these products will go towards buying a new migrant rescue boat to replace the one confiscated by Italian authorities."
"So you may well be committing a criminal offense by purchasing them."
“Sometimes you go to work and it's hard to know what to paint, but for the past few months I've been making stuff for the sole purpose of fulfilling trademark categories under EU law. It's not a very sexy muse."

Other items for sale include disco balls made from used police riot helmets and a toddler's counting toy where children are encouraged to load wooden migrant figures inside a haulage truck.

Items on display in the shop, which are only available to buy online, range in price from a £10 signed spray paint can to a handbag made from a house brick.

Banksy said despite trying to defend his artistic rights in this particular case, he has not changed his position on copyright.

He added: “I still encourage anyone to copy, borrow, steal and amend my art for amusement, academic research or activism. I just don't want them to get sole custody of my name."

A stab-proof vest worn by Stormzy is featured in Gross Domestic Product, a homeware store that is being launched in South London by the graffiti artist Banksy (Banksy/PA)

Amongst the crowds gathered outside the shop on Tuesday was Janet Jones, 62, who lives locally.

She said: “It's pretty incredible. The shop has been empty for a long while.

“I'm pretty sure it was empty yesterday, It's just happened so quickly."

Four security guards, dressed in brown trench coats, were stood outside the store.

They told PA news agency that they did not know who they were working for or how long the job would last.

Oliver Lewis, Croydon council's cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said: “It's really exciting, there's a lot of people out here generating a lot of interest.

“It just popped up overnight. That's one of the great things about street art, it's something for everyone to enjoy."

More from Trending

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less