“She pretends to be killed by dogs? It’s like an Alanis Morisette song in here.”
Enter real-world fashion brand Rag & Bones; they released a Cruella-themed fashion line based on the film’s designs, but there was just one small issue. Nobody told Jenny Beavan.
Beavan’s the multi-time Academy Award winner who did the costumes for Mad Max: Fury Road, (its upcoming prequel) Furiosa, and Cruella (if you’re wondering why your search for Furiosa/Mad Max/Cruella led you here, that’s why). She had some talks with Disney about merchandise that never went anywhere … until Beavan saw an Instagram post about the fashion line.
Rag & Bones
In a bit of viral marketing, Disney had decided to play the villains in their own film. The line featured looks patterned after the unique costumes Cruella wears, which include a block-wide garbage train and whatever the hell this is.
Walt Disney
It’s not the first time a film company has done this either — Clueless and Birds of Prey have had lines released in similarly shitty ways — but the Costume Designer’s Guild has officially stepped up to protest it, saying that it’s unfair to make costumes based on their work without even talking to them. Which is 1) yeah, true, but 2) not how anything is set up now. Some designers can negotiate for merchandising, but most don’t or can’t, and when merchandise gets made and they don’t get paid … well, it’s Star Wars merchandise that made Lucas a millionaire. That’s a lot of money that they never get to see.
Rag & Bone’s line is still up, and Disney’s already greenlit a Cruella sequel. So who knows, maybe they’ll piss off another creative who unite with other castoffs and stage a cultural revolution in which Disney executives are fed to mice or something.
Top Image: Walt Disney
Related: Cruella De Vil’s Original Origin Was Crazier Than What Disney’s Doing
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