Banksy says fashion retailer Guess ‘helped itself’ in its job, asks shoplifters ‘to do the same with their clothes’

Famous graffiti artist Banksy slammed fashion retailer Guess on Friday, saying it had used their work without permission, and invited shoplifters to visit the London store. Banksy, whose true identity is a closely guarded secret, posted a photo of Guess’ Regent Street store in central London on Instagram, suggesting shoplifters pay him a visit.

“Beware all shoplifters. Please go to GUESS on Regent Street. They used my artwork without asking, how can it be wrong for you to do the same with their clothes?” the post told Banksy’s 11.6 million followers.

The store window featured Banksy’s Flower Thrower graffiti and featured a new capsule collection from Guess, which according to its website was “created in partnership with Brandalised, an urban graffiti license whose mission is to give fans Affordable Graffiti Collectibles by Banksy”.

After Banksy’s post, store staff covered the window. Employees were seen rolling down a display case inside the Guess store which featured the artwork ‘Flower Thrower’. Guess could not immediately be reached for comment. (Also read | Banksy creates a t-shirt to help defendants topple the statue)

Last week, Banksy unveiled a work in the Ukrainian town of Borodyanka, which had been occupied by Russia until April and heavily damaged by fighting in the early days of the invasion of Moscow.

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