CHILLY VIBES

North Face Settles With Famed Street Artist Who Claimed Brand Stole His Design

Leonard McGurr, a.k.a. Futura, alleged the apparel brand stole a symbol he designed.

After being sued by the street artist Leonard McGurr, a.k.a. Futura, last year for allegedly copying one of his designs, North Face Apparel Corp has settled and the case has been preliminarily dismissed. McGurr—a pioneer of the New York graffiti scene who created alongside luminaries such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring in the 80s—has collaborated with several apparel brands in recent years including Nike, Uniqlo, and Comme de Garçons. But North Face, McGurr alleged, had copied an atom symbol he’d designed and reproduced it on their “FutureLight” outerwear line without permission. The terms of the settlement between the apparel brand and the artist haven’t been released, but last year, U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld allowed McGurr’s assertion that North Face competed unfairly to stand.