#threads || w. michael rutherford

[jasonxamato]

starter for @michaelxrutherford

location: downtown kismet harbor

"It's still kind of unbelievable that we are living in the same place again. I can't thank you enough for letting me know about that opening at HCP Holdings," he smiled at his college best friend. "I mean, it, after things went to shit back in New York," his head shook, "I really felt like I was lost. The camping trip helped, but we both knew that would happen." Jason had long last track of the number of backpacking trips the two had embarked on over the years himself.

[jaslenexclairmont]

starter for @michaelxrutherford

location: downtown kismet harbor, face painting

"What are Hayden and Huxley getting?" Jaslene questioned Michael, standing in line next to him and the children. Davina was interacting with his twins while she bounced Althea in her arms. She didn't know how her youngest would react to having her face painted but the brunette figured there was only one way to find out. "Davina was set on having a tiger painted but that was last night so I'm guessing she's long changed her mind." She laughed, knowing her daughter was paying no mind to her.

[hazalxalpman]

starter for @michaelxrutherford

location: downtown kismet harbor, art vendor tent

When Hazal got a tent to sell her artwork, it was the biggest risk she had taken with it. However, she had the support of her boyfriend, Archie. He had seen her work and so had her sister, Verity, a few others that were confident in her ability that it would sell. It was mid afternoon, not long after the tents had opened up for patrons and Hazal was sitting in the middle of her paintings as residents of Kismet Harbor and tourists began to walk by. She smiled at those she made eye contact with and it wasn't until someone stopped, did she stand up. "Hi," she had turned around, placing her phone on the table before turning to face the person. "Oh, hi," she recognized the other, having run into him and sprained her ankle in doing so. "Welcome," she laughed softly, suddenly feeling insecure that someone was looking at her artwork.

[hannahxwalsh]

starter for @michaelxrutherford

location: downtown kismet harbor

The weather was not the best by any means but in her jacket and scarf wrapped around her, the warmth of the coffee helped with the crisp Oregon air that settled around her. Having the day off work meant that she felt getting reacquainted with her old hometown. Sure, they had visited for holidays over the years since she got married to Zion but it was different than living in Kismet Harbor. With the coffee cup giving her the last few sips, she stood up to toss the cup when she noticed a wallet on the ground. She disposed of the cup and picked it up, opening it up to reveal the license of a blonde man. Lifting her gaze to the surrounding areas, she spotted one. "Excuse me!" Hannah called out, waving the wallet, "Is this yours?"

[biofunmy]

Target Pulls New Thread in Bikini Yarn

Would you pay $285 for a skimpy blue bikini with multicolored elastic threaded through multicolored crochet trim?

How about $176?

Or better yet, $38?

These are the options available to crochet-bikini lovers now that Target has jumped into one of the messiest swimsuit tales ever to unravel.

The big-box retailer this spring began to offer its Xhilaration-brand version of a bathing suit first sold on a beach in 1998 by a Brazilian crochet artist. That bikini was later remade and marketed to great success by a New York entrepreneur as the perfect suit for high-end luxury buyers with tiny bodies and huge Instagram followings.

By making the swimsuit available to the mass market — or a look-alike of a copy of the original — Target has reinvigorated one of the bikini industry’s wildest intellectual property disputes in memory; one that involves lawsuits and federal court, and evokes questions about art, commerce, the trickling down of trends and the internet’s role in it all.

In an industry built on creative inspiration, can any one person own a design? Is infringement litigation a waste of time and money that would be better spent on new products and ideas? If one internet-savvy person manages to create a market for a product that would have otherwise existed mostly in obscurity, does the marketer deserve any creative credit?

And that’s before addressing any issues of cultural appropriation.

Accusations of creative theft by big brands against small, unresourced designers have involved all sorts of luxury names, including Chanel, Versace and Michael Kors. (All deny wrongdoing.)

This is the sort of fray in which Target is now ensnarled. But while most such cases tend to be tried solely in the court of public opinion, the crocheted bikini is different.

The lawsuit involves a bikini sold by Kiini, a brand that was brought to market in June 2013 by Ipek Irgit. Her initial $285 bikini is nearly identical to a bikini created and first sold in 1998 by Maria Solange Ferrarini, a beach vendor and artist in Trancoso, in the Brazilian state of Bahia.

Ms. Ferrarini first sold the swimsuit more than 20 years ago for about $2.50. She now charges beach buyers about $75 for a handmade original. (A licensed version made by a San Diego swimwear company sells for $176 in the United States.)

Last year, Ms. Ferrarini, 62, filed suit against Ms. Irgit, who started her own company after visiting Trancoso in 2012, using one of Ms. Ferrarini’s bikinis as a model for a prototype. The lawsuit says Ms. Irgit, 41, has passed off Ms. Ferrarini’s design as her own, even submitting to the United States Copyright Office a photo of the Kiini bathing suit and receiving a copyright.

In an interview with The New York Times last summer, Ms. Irgit denied copying the swimsuit. Her lawyer, Mark A. Berman, did not respond to more recent requests seeking comment.

The case has pulled into its vortex companies including Victoria’s Secret and Neiman Marcus, amid complex issues of intellectual property rights. It got more complicated in January when, in the wake of publicity surrounding the situation, the copyright office also granted Ms. Ferrarini a copyright.

Now, a federal court in the Southern District of New York is digging through those implications.

And the bikinis — all the versions — continue to sell.

Some fans of the Kiini bikini were surprised to learn of the details of its origin, and the controversy it has engendered.

The model Reka Ebergenyi wore a Kiini bikini in a 2014 photo shoot for Condé Nast Traveller. Ms. Ebergenyi knew Ms. Irgit through a mutual friend who was helping with Kiini’s production, and had asked the editor on the shoot if she could wear the bikini.

The resulting photo — Ms. Ebergenyi wearing a Kiini while standing by a pool — appeared on the December cover of the magazine and was a big moment for the swimwear brand.

“I didn’t know I was a part of a fraud,” Ms. Ebergenyi said in an interview this spring.

Some people took to Instagram to register criticism of Kiini after the lawsuit drew attention. Both Ms. Irgit’s personal Instagram account and the Kiini brand account now have restrictions on commenting.

As for the Target version of the bikini, a company spokeswoman declined to make an executive available for an interview on how the bathing suit design was created.

In an emailed statement, the spokeswoman said, “Target offers a wide range of swimwear styles and designs that feature the current trends of the season. This year, one of the trends we saw across the marketplace is crochet trim, which we incorporated into swimwear and other products.”

Ms. Ferrarini’s lawyer, Jack M. Rutherford, shared with The Times a letter he sent to Target on June 25 asking it to “cease and desist” from selling the bikini. “Continuing violation of Ms. Ferrarini’s intellectual property rights, or any known past violation of those rights,” Mr. Rutherford wrote, may subject Target “to heightened liability for willful copyright infringement.”

(The lawyer was part of The Times’s earlier article as well. “While I filed this case under my previous legal name,” he said now, referring to his previous given name, Michelle, “I am a transgender man, and I now go by Jack M. Rutherford and am in the process of a legal name and gender transition.”)

The Target spokeswoman said that “neither Target nor the vendor who designed this swimsuit have received a claim, so we’re unable to comment on it at this time.”

Last summer, Ms. Irgit said she felt compelled to sue companies that she believes have been benefiting from Kiini’s success. “If your rights are being taken, and everything you’ve worked so hard for is, like, being wiped away, wouldn’t you do something about it? Are we all supposed to be afraid and run away?”

Her lawyer didn’t comment on whether Ms. Irgit plans to sue Target.

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[hazalxalpman]

starter for @michaelxrutherford

location: outside of galaxy cinemas

Hazal had just finished seeing a movie by herself, needing the mental break to just sit and do nothing for a little while. She could have easily sat in her apartment, but something about fresh, movie theater popcorn sounded delicious to the brunette. Tossing out her trash on the way out of the theater, Hazal pushed open the doors to the cool air that was gracing Oregon that evening. As she stepped out, her feet did not coordinate the way they were supposed to and she stumbled - right into someone else. "Shit," Hazal muttered, her hands having grabbed onto the other to hold herself up right, "I am so sorry."

[hazalxalpman]

starter for @michaelxrutherford

location: michael's studio

Hazal was nervous when she rapped her knuckles against the door. She remained nervous as she stepped into the studio, her hands wringing together as she couldn't believe her eyes. The studio was more than the brunette could ever begin to dream of having. She never imagined her artwork would make it so big that she would have something this size, but she hoped she'd have a studio of her own one day that didn't consist of her apartment living room. "I can't thank you enough for letting me come see your studio, Mr. Rutherford." Hazal thanked him with a warm smile, "This is incredible."

[jasonxamato]

"It wasn't intentional, they were so close together and honestly," he laughed, "she made me nervous as hell, I pretty much panicked." Which wasn't typical of Jason especially when he was in nature's setting but Amerie was seemingly unlike anyone else he had met before. "Ah, yeah," he laughed, "I remember when that happened. That didn't end up working out for you, did it?" Jason joked with his old friend. "We have," he nodded his head, "nothing crazy, I asked her to get dinner with me." Jason admitted to him. "Shockingly, she said yes." @michaelxrutherford

"Oh my God, never give your work numbers to girls." Michael laughed, shaking his head. "I did that once and my assistant picked up. Somehow it's embarrassing to have a potential girlfriend talk with your assistant." The man snickered, but then turned serious again. Jason's happiness was very important to him. After all he's been through lately, he worried for him almost constantly. He hoped that he didn't get his hopes up and the woman would toss him aside. "Okay so, have you two made plans to see each other, or what's the plan?" @jasonxamato

[jasonxamato]

"I'm not about to be responsible for that," he shook his head before lifting his hand to place over his heart. "I simply couldn't live with myself if I did that." He was joking but in part, it was also the truth. Jason adored the hell out of Michael's kids and they were family to him. If anything ever happened to Michael, Jason would take care of them, no matter what else might be going on in his life. "I guess so," he chuckled before nodding his head, "I mean, I hope so. I kind of dropped the ball giving her the office number that disconnected before I heard from her, so I'm hoping she doesn't hold that against me." @michaelxrutherford

"Good. It'd break the twins' hearts you know?" Michael sniffed, brushing his finger underneath his eye as if wiping away a non existent tear. Distance had never changed their friendship, and he was godfather to his children. He had a pivotal position in their lives now and forever. "I think I do, yeah." He had to think for a moment when it vaguely came to him. He remembered the retreat, but the fact he didn't remember the woman was surprising. When Jason mentioned she lived here, Michael let out a short laugh. "All roads lead to Kismet Harbor, huh." The man mused. "So? Are you seeing her again?" @jasonxamato

[hazalxalpman]

"You don't have to apologize," she looked up at him. It was her fault, for running into him and she knew that. Hazal was taken back by his joke, eyes going wide for a moment before letting out a soft laugh, "I won't subject you to any manual labor, maybe just guiding me across the street," she nodded once more to answer his question, "I'll even buy you a drink for your troubles." At the very least, then she could ask Beyza or Archie to get her home. @michaelxrutherford

"I'm sorry." The man apologised when she swore, knowing that any kind of pain was something highly unfortunate. He hadn't hurt her on purpose, but he still felt bad. "Are you sure? I got a strong back, I don't mind. I'm Greek." He attempted the joke, knowing that for tourists the donkeys carrying them up the steep hills were popular. "Okay. Where do you want to sit?" He asked, looking around him while still holding a hand on her arm, keeping her stable. "Over there? Across the street?" @hazalxalpman

[jaslenexclairmont]

"Ah, something to look forward to," she teased, as Davina was rather good about eating what was made for her, but Althea was the opposite, already proving to be quite the picky eater at only one year old. "I'm glad to hear that," though with the looks of him, she doubted people wouldn't be accommodating, plus the addition of children always brought upon more kindness. Jaslene wondered the return she would have received without children. "There is, yeah," she nodded her head, though she were not part of it at the moment. "It's been an adjustment, I don't think anyone ever thinks they'll return home with their tail tucked." @michaelxrutherford

END.

"It's a party, especially around dinner time. Halfway through making it they're already over it." Michael snickered, holding his twins close. He knew it had been harder on them ever since their mother had been out of their life. There was confusion, they didn't understand and he didn't want to give them reason to dislike their mother, especially at such a young age. "I've been having an excellent time. Everyone has been accomodating, the kids are having fun in school. I've been told there's a knitting club since I wanted to see if crochet was my thing, so we'll see." He answered her, looking down at the twins who seemed to be having fun in their made up language with each other. "How about you?" @jaslenexclairmont

[hazalxalpman]

The excitement that surrounded his realization flushed her cheeks. Hazal was not open about her artwork with many people and taking a chance by putting them up for sale during wine month was something she never thought she would do. Yet, encouragement from her friends had led her here. "Thank you," she smiled at him, momentarily ducking her gaze before looking back up at him. "Mostly from living here," she told him, "Kismet is too beautiful not to document," she continued on, "life, anywhere really, sometimes inspiration just sparks." @michaelxrutherford

"That's good then. No real harm done." He joked, hands moving to his sides as he chuckled at her motion. When however she stated that she had made the paintings they stood in front of, he arched an eyebrow. "You made these? No kidding!" His excitement was palpable, turning his attention to the artwork on display. "They caught my eye just now -- where do you draw your inspiration from?" @hazalxalpman

[jasonxamato]

Jason held up his hands, shaking his head before his hands fell back to his side. "You caught me red handed," he joked with Michael. Family had never been so important to him until he had grown close with Michael and especially, the twins as he didn't have children of his own and didn't know if he'd ever have a chance to. "Of course I love you all," he told Michael with a growing smile, "so, remember that woman I was telling you about at the camping retreat?" The one that Jason had taken after the company he worked for went up in metaphorical flames, "Turns out she lives here, too." @michaelxrutherford

Family had always been an odd topic to the two: Family. Michael had always grown up an only child himself and moving to the States hadn't much improved the relationship he had with his brother. Their personalities and lifestyles clashed too much that Michael had just turned more to his study and later his job. His father and his brother had reached out once he earned more success, but by that point Michael had no longer been interested. At least he had a brother in Jason. "It's because of the twins too, huh? You can admit it, you love us." @jasonxamato

[hannahxwalsh]

"It would have been," Hannah laughed softly with the thought. She was not typically so good at scavenger hunts, so the shortest one might have been a win for her. "Nice to meet you, Michael." Hannah shook the man's hand in return before opening up the other's wallet. "Looks like," her head tipped to the side as she opened up the wallet, "we have a lucky day and have a driver's license." She fished it out and held it out to Michael, "Recognize them?" @michaelxrutherford

"It would've been the world's shortest scavenger hunt had it been my wallet." He chuckled, taking hold of her outstretched hand in order to shake it. "Hannah, I'm Michael." He told her, shaking her hand before letting it go. "Anything in the wallet that could give anything away? Business cards or something like that?" @hannahxwalsh

[jasonxamato]

While Jason had a younger brother, their relationship had long been ruined by that of their parents. He didn't get along with anyone in his family and Michael had been someone he had trusted from the get-go. "Me too," he nodded his head. New York was in the past and it had to stay there, "it's already growing on me and not just because you are here." He joked with the other, a grin growing across his lips. @michaelxrutherford

"Always, you know it." Michael had a brother, but had never formed a proper relationship with him. With Jason it had been natural from the start. He had owed his successes to him, for Jason was the one that encouraged him to drop out and pursue his passion. It had been why he had named his first main character after his friend. An inspiration, of some sort. "New York is in the past, I'm hoping you can find yourself back on your feet here. This town has a certain charm, I like it here." @jasonxamato

[jaslenexclairmont]

"Spiderman and a unicorn, now those are great ideas." Jaslene complimented his children's ideas for face painting. The brunette smiled as his daughter let out a laugh before turning around to hug him. Moments like that were fleeting. Before she knew it, Davina would be learning how to drive and Althea wouldn't be far behind. She was going to take every opportunity to make sure they enjoyed their youth and make sure that she did as well. "It's funny how quickly they can change their minds, huh?" She laughed softly with the idea, "How've you been? Adjusting to living here?" @michaelxrutherford

The twins would often argue they were getting too old for facepaint, and yet every time they wanted to go anyway. Michael just tried to enjoy their youth and innocence for as long as he could. He knew that in no time they would be teenagers with moods before he had a chance to blink. "What are we thinking, tell Jaslene." He squeezed their shoulders as they leaned against his front. "Spiderman!" Huxley pumped his fists in the air, earning a ruffle through his hair. "A unicorn." Hayden said a little bit more quiet, which was unlike her. But a well placed squeeze on her neck causing a giggle before she turned around to hug his frame. How could he not fall in love with these two? "I believe you. Just yesterday they didn't want any, and now I was dragged over here." @jaslenexclairmont