The Really Heavy Greatcoat Archive: April 2006

17/4/06: The Really Heavy Greatcoat catches up with an old friend via a t-shirt. Yes, these things happen... The image on the t-shirt of revoltutionary Che Guevera is of course famous, taken by photographer Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez, better known as Alberto Korda for the Cuban newspaper Revolución in 1960. (These days, wearing such t-shirts might not also denigrate Che's memory, they may also get you arrested for condoning terrorism...)

Korda never received any royalties for the image, and famously sued vodka makers Smirnoff over the use of the image in advertisement in 2000, settling out-of-court for $50,000 which was donated to the Cuban healthcare system.

"As a supporter of the ideals for which Che Guevara died, I am not averse to its reproduction by those who wish to propagate his memory and the cause of social justice throughout the world," Korda once said, "but I am categorically against the exploitation of Che's image for the promotion of products such as alcohol, or for any purpose that denigrates the reputation of Che."