SIGE PA.... BAYO PA.... AHHHH....


Talented? Oo... talentado nga ang mga taga-Bayo.

Hehehe... Now that I have your attention... I recently learned of this accusation against Bayo, the Philippines-based maker of world class apparel for women. Kaya pala world class sila eh kung saan-saan sa world sila kumokopya ng mga designs na nilalagay nila sa products nila. Ewan ko kung totoo to, pero kung totoo man, boljak na naman tayong mga Pinoy.

Here's what popped into my Friendster bulletin board:

hello friends,

ang ganda ng bayo kids ano? pati yung mga display ng bayo. kaso, we are very disappointed to inform you that BAYO has been RIPPING OFF illustrators from japan for their designs. and most of these illustrators are artists who contributed to a book and web compilation from Delicatessen. the title of the book is MONDOFRAGILE: MODERN FASHION
ILLUSTRATORS FROM JAPAN (available at Powerbooks) if you check out www.mondofragile.com (plus links to each artists' sites), you'll see that:

1. TADAHIRO UESUGI's untitled artwork for a japanese magazine (top shot of a girl in a bikini sun bathing)
was traced and used for bayo's summer window displays (with fake grass background) without him knowing it

2. YUKA MAEDA's black-outlined little girls are on BAYO KIDs shirts,without her permission

and

3. EMMA.MORI's big-eyed vector girls and animals are used in BAYO's display ads. the little deer on their tag now? that's EMMA's, not BAYO's.

i had a talk with a socialite-celeb who was part of BAYO's research team, who did speculate na hindi nga siguro nag paalam ang BAYO sa mga Japanese illustrators na ito. they have an artist who traces/copies it for them.

also, if you check out EMMA.MORI's site (google: BAYO PHILIPPINES EMMA)
you'll see this:

--hi! your illustrations are the cutest i've ever seen! unfortunately, a clothing brand here in the Philippines named BAYO seems to be using your drawings for their children clothing line(t-shirt and bag logos). do they have your permission?

--hello!! i don't know BAYO...I look BAYO's web. I was very much surprised.My illustration was being used without my permission. This is a crime. It it here so that it warns BAYO soon. thanks!!!

i think early this year pa ito na post.

diba nakakahiya? tapos maglalabas pa ang BAYO ng shirt na: YOUNGTALENTED FILIPINA, but they ripped off other artists! it's not an excuse anymore to say na 'di ko alam eh,' 'i didn't know these were not original.' Come on. we're in a globalized economy. they have a website. they're an established clothing line. They should have checked first, it's their responsibility.

and i think it's ours too-to be responsible buyers. especially since we're artists too. we dont want other people riping off our
artwork and claiming it as theirs so they can sell a few shirts without giving us the heads up. these corporations should give the artists their due, and respect.

we have a thing called intellectual property rights, we should protect it.

alam kong magaganda ang damit sa BAYO, pero for now, please keep out of their store until they fix this. BAYO was on such a good roll with Lea Salonga, and now they stoop to this? It's really sad.

Whether you're an artist in the Philippines or Japan, or kahit saan, dapat magpapaalam muna sayo ang mga gagamit ng works mo.

please pass.

Tsk tsk tsk. Sabi ko na nga ba eh. Kaya ngayon, pagbabawalan ko nang mamili yung wife ko dyan sa Bayo. Ang mahal-mahal na nga ng presyo ng t-shirt nila, yun pala kinopya lang sa isang kawawang ponjaps.