English underground street artist Banksy has announced the launch of his own line of merchandise.
Handcrafted items will be on sale starting at £10. Banksy's initiative is a response to the actions of a British company trying to cash in on sales on behalf of the artist.
Banksy is preparing to open a pop-up store in London's Croydon to officially present a collection of his own products for sale online. According to the artist, he was forced to start producing his own goods after he received a lawsuit from one of the companies, whose name was not disclosed. The artist named his store Gross Domestic Product, which means Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
A greeting card company is trying to confiscate the legal right to the Banksy name from the artist himself, who has been advised the best way to prevent this is to sell his own range of branded merchandise.
According to the artist's lawyer Mark Stevens, Banksy found himself in a difficult situation: "Since he does not manufacture goods himself and does not use his trademark, the law allows him to transfer it to whoever does it."
The Banksy showroom will only function as a product demonstration, while all sales will be conducted through a specially created site grossdomesticproduct.com. The artist announced this on his Instagram, accompanying the post with a photo of the showcases of the future space. The installation outside the pop-up store is a series of showcases displaying a variety of works of art by Banksy, including the vest worn by British hip-hop musician Stormzy at Glastonbury 2019.
Many of the items that will go on sale were made specifically for the online store. According to a widespread statement, the number of goods will be limited, and all items will be made in the UK, including from recycled materials.
