As band merch and punk inspired patches on jackets are quickly becoming a popular fashion statement, the high scale department store Barney’s New York has began to sell a $265 Black Flag T-Shirt. The T-shirt is made of “Japanese cotton-cashmere” and features the band simple yet iconic four bar logo.
The former band’s front man Henry Rollins in an e-mail said, “I know nothing about the origins of the shirt, I have no ownership of the band’s name or logo. That’s where I begin and end with it.”
The Black Flag logo stemmed from the creative mind of Raymond Pettibon, a highly acclaimed artist and the brother the band’s founding guitarist Greg Ginn. However, a represenative for Pettibon claimed he took no part in the collaboration with Barney’s.
The owners of the trademark, according to an official document from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is SST Records, Inc., from Taylor, Texas, which is a company founded by previous band member Greg Ginn. The USPTO registration document encloses information regarding the distribution of the Black Flag Logo on merchandise such as “Hats; Pants; Shirts; Socks; Sweat shirts; T-shirts.”
The attorney who was involved with the with the transaction said she oversaw the transaction with R13 (the company that designed the t-shirt) for SST and Ginn, however declined to comment farther.
Barney’s New York also declined to comment, and according to the WSJ the link on the website said the T-Shirt was no longer available.
In 2014, the band was granted the rights over the band’s logo, recordings, and and name in a settlement with FLAG.
The band broke up in the 1986, and there has been unfortunate news surrounding some of the former band members. In 2015 Dez Cadena informed the public he was diagnosed with throat cancer and Greg Ginn was accused for child abuse by his ex wife.
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