Thor Steinar
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Thor Steinar is a German clothing brand registered as a trademark by Axel Kopelke in October 2002. The label's logo consisted of a combination of a *tiwaz rune and a *sowilo rune and has resulted in controversy. The company has since changed their logo.
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[edit] Controversy
Since the inception of Thor Steinar, the company has used two logos. Much of the controversy regarding the clothing label revolves around their first logo. Thor Steinar reject the controversial interpretations of this logo,[1] which they have since changed to an uncontroversial second logo.
[edit] Germany
Various authorities and organizations, including Brandenburg Verfassungsschutz[2],[3] have identified the wearing of Thor Steinar clothes as one of the indications of membership in the Neo-Nazi subculture. Wearing the label is prohibited in the German Bundestag, in the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as in several football stadiums.[4]
[edit] Norway
Various designs by Thor Steinar have had Norwegian flags and Norwegian names, such as Trondheim, Nordfjord, Nordstrand or Bergen. The official stores selling the clothes are also named after the oldest Norwegian city, Tønsberg. Many politicians are trying to make the usage of national symbols illegal. [5] For this Norway started a lawsuit against the use of the Norwegian flag in February 2008. [6] The legal complaint however failed and it is unlikely that a second attempt will be made. The Norwegian Embassy, the Norwegian Office for Foreign Affairs were informed by Mediatex - the company behind the Thor Steinar brand - on the 6th of December 2007 that future collections starting and including the Spring/Summer 2008 collection will no longer use the national symbol of Norway. The company issued a statement in response to the issue.[7]
[edit] Ownership
The Thor Steinar label was acquired by International Brands General Trading, an Arab-owned, Dubai-based company in a move that, according to the Financial Times, may force "neo-Nazis [..] to reconsider their choice of outfit".[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Thor Steinar's rejection of controversial interpretations of their logo: [1]
- ^ Verfassungsschutz Brandenburg: „Thor Steinar“ scheitert mit neuem Vertriebsweg, 2008
- ^ Verfassungsschutzbericht Brandenburg 2007, S. 162
- ^ Der Tagesspiegel: Hausverbot im Bundestag, 16. März 2008
- ^ Berglund, Nina (2006-12-04). "Neo-nazi clothing 'abuses' Norway's flag". Aftenposten. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1556465.ece. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ Radke, Johannes (2008-02-15). "Norwegen klagt gegen Thor Steinar" (in german). Der Tagesspiegel. http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/div/;art771,2476984. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ Thor Steinar's official statement addressing the flag issue: [2]
- ^ Bryant, Chris (2009-03-23). "Fashion blow for Neo-nazis" (in english). Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2a9593e-17d8-11de-8c9d-0000779fd2ac.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-02.
[edit] External links
- Official homepage
- Thor Steinar page explaining their stance on the runic origin of the "TS" logo (German language link)
- Neo-Nazi Fashion: Thor Steinar and the Changing Look of the German Far Right
- Report on the first court ruling (German language link)
- Report on the first court ruling (German language link)
