DKNY apologises for using photos without permission

New York-based fashion label DKNY has apologised for displaying 300 of Brandon Stanton’s photographs without permission in its Bangkok shop windows. The fashion house announced in a statement that it has always supporting the arts and they

“deeply regret the mistake” and to make amends the brand is making a charitable donation of 25,000 dollars to the YMCA in Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn in the name of the photographer.

Stanton, a street photographer in New York City, was alerted to the Bangkok display by a fan, and he then took to his Facebook page for his blog, Humans of New York, and condemned DKNY for using his photos without his permission after he declined their offer to participate in their spring 2013 window display.

The photographer said: “I was approached by a representative of DKNY who asked to purchase 300 of my photos to hang in their store windows ‘around the world’. They offered me $15,000. I asked for more money. They said ‘no’.”

In the DKNY response, the brand added: “For the spring 2013 windows program, we licensed and paid for photos from established photography service providers. However, it appears that inadvertently the store in Bangkok used an internal mock up containing some of Mr. Stanton's images that was intended to merely show the direction of the spring visual program.

“We apologize for this error and are working to ensure that only the approved artwork is used.”

Stanton was asking for 100,000 dollars in compensation, but he took to his Facebook and stated that: “$25k will help a lot of kids at the YMCA. I know a lot of you would like to have seen the full $100k, but we are going to take them at their word that it was a mistake, and be happy that this one had a happy ending.”

Image: via Humans of New York Facebook