10 Deep -2009
Tecknicolor 2005
I posted this up earlier this year, before I had an official Tecknicolor blog and was still using Myspace.
I tend to lean towards a somewhat militant view of things, as it relates to African-American culture. So, despite the fact that I actually disagree with certain concepts about the movement he created, I admire and respect Malcolm X and what he’s meant to America. With that being said, back in 2005 I felt moved to paint a tee with the portrait of Bother Malcolm on it (I believe the pic is of the unfinished version). This shirt was done strictly for personal reasons. It was not for sale and I never intended on making any more of them.
Fast forward four years to 2009 and 10 Deep’s spring line features a tee that bears a remarkable resemblance to mine. As I stated when I previously blogged about this; I make no claims of being the absolute first to make a Malcolm X shirt or to the creative rights of this particular photo of Malcolm X. However, I still can’t help noticing:
- Their version was done in a sketchy fashion, just as mine was.
- From all of the Malcolm X photos in the world, they chose the exact same photo as me.
- The portrait is over sized almost covering the entire tee, just like mine.
So did 10 Deep steal my tee design? You decide.
