Market Slams sweetgreen for Stealing Kale Camo Print Collaboration Idea

As someone who has spent years navigating the cutthroat world of fast fashion and streetwear, I can’t help but feel a sense of deja vu when I see this sweetgreen scandal unfold. It seems that yet another brand has been caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar, stealing ideas from independent designers who dare to dream bigger than a simple side salad.

Fast food restaurant chain sweetgreen finds itself embroiled in controversy, as New York fashion label Market, along with its founder Mike Cherman, have publicly accused the eatery of copying a clothing design concept that was previously presented to them by Market last year. The allegations were made through social media posts.

In September 2023, Cherman and Market shared with their collective tens of thousands of followers that they had pitched a collaboration concept to sweetgreen. They displayed screenshots from their email exchange with founder Nathaniel Ru, demonstrating initial curiosity in a partnership between the two entities. Market proposed the idea of incorporating the recognizable shapes and colors of Kale and Arugula into a unique camouflage pattern for a joint collection spanning from printable graphics to home goods to high-end clothing items. The email suggested that Ru was intrigued by the idea, even proposing a meeting between Market’s team and sweetgreen’s creative director Jillian. Additionally, Market disclosed their presentation pitch, revealing mockups of how the Kale and Arugula camouflage print could appear. However, it appears that after their presentation, sweetgreen didn’t follow up with Market to finalize the collaboration.

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A post shared by MICHAEL CHERMAN (@mikecherman)

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2024-11-13 11:55

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