Anita Rachman & Markus Junianto Sihaloho

Two of a kind? The Armani logo next to the Garuda Pancasila.

Armani Pulls T-Shirt Off Web Site But Lawmakers Still Want Blood

A much-discussed Armani Exchange T-shirt with a logo similar to the Indonesian Garuda Pancasila symbol was pulled from the Armani Web site on Tuesday, although the same series, called the “Studded Eagle,” was still available on other sites such as Amazon.com.

Ravelra Supit Lubis, communications manager of Club 21, an Armani Exchange distributor in Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe that she contacted the Armani Exchange headquarters in the US after receiving protests on Monday.

“I have e-mailed them all the reports from here, how the shirt has triggered protests in Indonesia. They immediately took down the pictures,” she said. “I think so far, that’s the best solution.”

On Monday, members of the House of Representatives joined the public outcry over the T-shirt, which sports a logo reminiscent of the Garuda Pancalisa but with the bull and banyan tree replaced by an “A” and “X,” the company’s trademark. The national motto, “Bhineka Tunggal Ika” (“Unity in Diversity”), is replaced by the words “Armani Exchange.” It had been advertised on the clothier’s site since December.

Ravelra said the shirt had been removed from the Indonesian market, but she could not confirm whether it had been pulled elsewhere.

Some members of the House threatened to sue Armani for desecrating the Garuda Pancasila.

Ravelra said that Armani’s removal of the item from its site did not necessarily indicate it was admitting to charges of profiting from the national symbol.

“I think the objective in taking the pictures down was to calm the situation,” she said.

Club 21 is open to discussion with the members of the House, Ravelra said. However, handling further action, such as a lawsuit, might be beyond the distributor’s responsibility. She said that any legal action would be directly handled by Armani’s central office.

A military spokesman on Tuesday discounted the debate.

Air Vice Marshall Sagom Tamboen said that for most Indonesian military officers, the eagle symbol used by Armani is not anything like the state symbol. “That is not the Garuda Indonesia. [For us] it is a sparrow, a very big sparrow,” Tamboen said.

He urged Indonesians to stop making a fuss over the shirt, saying the garment’s makers would benefit most from the dustup.

Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari concurred: “We must appreciate their good will. No need to prolong the issue.”

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