About The Patrick Ta and Painted By Esther Prove Trademark
Patrick Ta and Painted By Esther Prove Trademarks Don’t Tell The Whole Story
- Makeup artist Patrick Ta faced backlash for not crediting Ngozi 'Painted by Esther' Edeme's blush technique in his product launch.
- Black women's influence and creativity in the beauty industry are often sidelined or erased, sparking necessary discussions on authorship and ownership.
- Ta's business practices have also faced scrutiny, with a history of delayed payments to Black creators, highlighting systemic issues in the industry.
The internet called out makeup artist and beauty founder Patrick Ta for capitalizing off Ngozi ‘Painted by Esther’ Edeme’s trendy blush technique with the launch of transitional blush collection.
Ta sat down with Emma Grede where he addressed the controversy. He issued an apology to Ngozi for the impact of his choices while clarifying his intentions.
Edeme brought bold gradient blush back into the mainstream with the help of celebrity clients like Olandria Carthen, Tyla and even Cassie Venture. The makeup artist and creator took over our timelines with the look. So when Patrick Ta released his shade-y collection, Edeme’s absence was felt. She is synonymous with unique and vibrant blush technique.
“I am genuinely sorry for like the hurt and the frustration that I have caused and that for anyone who has ever felt overlooked or not recognized on their contributions,” said Ta.“That was never my intent. My intent was only to create a product to allow people to make this technique more accessible at home.”
Black women are the blueprint for the beauty industry. History doesn’t always reflect that. The so-called clean beauty aesthetic and the attempted renaming of the afro prove that stories of trends they create don’t always center them.
The Business of Blush
Ta said he wanted to work with Edeme, but she declined to collaborate. “My team reached out to Esther, and unfortunately, she declined the opportunity because she wasn’t taking paid collaborations at the moment,” he told Grede. “This was prior to the launch.”
Edeme worked with M.A.C. on a beautiful collaboration with our fave doll, Olandria. It ate. Blush backlash lingered in the background.
Related: Olandria Carthen Has Entered Her Designer Era With A Must-Have Brandon Blackwood Collab
Grede identified the source of criticism against Ta. She explained that “launching this particular product without a mention of her influence of the technique kind of felt like an erasure of her influence.”
“The fact that you guys went out with it in the way that you did feels like she should have somehow come up and been credited, and she wasn’t. And because it so frequently happens specifically with black female creators and artists, it has, it’s escalated,” she continued.
Authorship Matters As Much As Ownership
That escalation includes discussions about trademarks. There is no process for trademarking a technique for applying makeup. Ta did the next best thing. He trademarked the name of the product. That felt off to some.
Trademark rights have been heavily discussed lately, with a creator receiving backlash for attempting to trademark the commonly used phrase “Hot Girls Read.”
Amplifying and curating something that already exists and sparking adoption of it matters. Trademarks are not the only measure of creative value. They are not the only way of claiming authorship.
Olivia Rodrigo and Courtney Love didn’t invent baby ball dresses. They created a ripple effect in the culture wearing them. They earned credit for that.
Taylor Swift didn’t invent cat sweaters, but her decision to wear one brought them into the mainstream at a time when they weren’t on Front Street. Green existed before Charlie XCX, but she defined a summer with it – “brat” style.
People accept that. No one is pointing out legal loopholes to discredit it, the way they do with Black women.
Ta Holds A Less Than Beautiful Background
This isn’t the first time that Patrick Ta found himself in a sticky business situation involving a Black woman. Beauty influencer and TikTok creator Avonna Sunshine called Ta’s company out for failing to pay her after she worked with the brand.
Ta explained that Avonna Sunshine calling him out prompted him to make major shifts in his business practices.
“There was a delayed payment on an invoice, which was fixed,” he said. “I hated that that happened.” Delayed payments can be hurtful to creators. It can weaken their businesses and create havoc in their personal lives. People are often discouraged from discussing them to keep from offending potential partners.
“We did a complete overhaul on our accounting process to make sure that this never happens again,” he added.
These mistakes don’t happen in a vacuum. They happen in a world where people’s experiences get overlooked.
History Has No Room For The Humble
Black women banded together to support Edeme. They demanded she receive the attention and credit her talent deserves. They took necessary action.
It’s dangerous for us to be humble. We dissapear then.
Ta told Grede, “I’ve realized that even though it wasn’t my intention, the impact matters. “
It still might be difficult for Black women to see him as someone safe. There’s so much on the line.
We are not in a position to accept “Oops, my bad sis” at a time when we’re being pushed out of the workplace and overshadowed in narratives we created. We have to have each other’s backs and cheekbones.
