A Toronto-based artist who has publicly spoken out against companies many believe are failing their customers is once again in hot water this week over his work.
Cristofer Lam, whose fake Metrolinx merchandise went viral before the transit agency forced him to change his design, has now been hired by Loblaw Companies Ltd. asked to stop production of a clothing line aimed at the food giant.
People in Toronto love this Metrostinx merch that Metrolinx wanted to shut down 🤭https://t.co/IqubAXJ3Mn #Metrolinx #Metrostinx
– blogTO (@blogTO) January 6, 2024
Similar to his “Metrostinx” shirts, mugs and tote bags, Lam's Loblaws motifs use a version of the retailer's logo that has been changed to “Roblaw$,” an apparent reference to the store's outrageous prices to consumers for months in turmoil.
(Even better, Lam rewrote the brand's slogan, “Live Life Well,” to “Live Life Hungry,” which customers will likely find much more appropriate.)
Unfortunately for the artist and his fans, Loblaw representatives have reached out to him about the items, saying the revised logo is too close to their own.
“On today's episode of 'Which Big Canadian Company Is After Me Today,' Loblaws say my Roblaws shirt infringes their intellectual property…unless their slogan is 'Live Life Hungry' and their logo is a gun and a shopping basket . “I’m not sure it holds up,” Lam wrote on the community Facebook group Weird Toronto on Wednesday.
“Loblaws sucks and if you want one you have to message me directly now… Anyway, keep dragging along shitty corporations that are screwing people over!”
Lam's post about Loblaw's attempt to crack down on its design drew a ton of reaction in the Weird Toronto Facebook group.
On Wednesday, Loblaw successfully removed the shirts in question from Lam's Etsy platform.
However, he was able to get around the same problem in the past with Metrolinx by changing the logo again, so there may still be hope for those who want to continue seeing Roblaws products.
In the meantime, Lam will continue to sell his shares directly, including at local markets such as the upcoming Toronto Dark Arts Market in Parkdale on Saturday.
“Everyone has been super supportive of the work… I love seeing them in the wild and that the phrases have become more popular because of it,” he told blogTO last month about his various designs.
He added that he intends to continue developing and selling new items that will put incompetent companies and agencies to task.