Some Love (Or Dollars) Lost Over Gucci's ♥ of New York

Gucci has been touting its love (or ♥) of New York with a new "Gucci ♥ NY" line of luxury products and 46,000 flagship store on Fifth Avenue, but its legal department never cleared the usage of the trademarked "I ♥ NY" logo. According to the Post, the Empire State Development agency was never contacted for permission.

Accompanying another Post article about the "I ♥ NY" logo being used for cigarette and ashtrays, it turns out that state officials met with Gucci president Mark Lee and "both sides will be working this week to hammer out a deal." Lee explained the Italian brand's love of NY to Forbes:

This is the largest Gucci store in the world and that needs to be seen in the context of the relationship that Gucci has with New York, going back more than a half-century.

Gucci came to New York back in 1963. We've been in New York and on Fifth Avenue in this area for a long, long time. So in thinking about this new store, we wanted really to do special things for New York.

It's a little bit tongue-in-cheek, a little bit of a whimsical idea that our creative director had with "Gucci loves New York" as kind of a nice Valentine for New Yorkers, and give the money to charity, making it something else that helps New York. We do not profit at all from the sale of that collection. It's only available here on Fifth Avenue, so it should be a driver to send people into the store tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock when we officially cut the ribbon. All the proceeds will go to Playground Partners Central Park Improvement Program.

Well, luckily Gucci's charging $630 for a handbag (even $6,900 for a really big duffle bag), so there should be plenty for a settlement (Honda only paid NY State $45,000 to use the logo!) and to donate to the Central Park Conservancy - beneficiary of 100% of proceeds for the "Gucci Loves NY" line (and a private not-for-profit not affiliated with the city or state government).

And one question: Why were the Gucci Loves New York fashion bloggers all from...outside of New York?