October 2, 2007
Forever 21's New Unfashionable Suit
The Village Voice is questioning the merits of some top designers suing Forever 21 for "ripping off" their style. Over 20 designers in all are calling the store out for their fashion faux-pas, and they're led by Diane Von Furstenberg, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, who has brought the case to Washington "attempting to get federal legislation passed that would make clothes-copying clothes a criminal offence." This isn't the first time she's taken issue with the store, and now she claims they have knocked off her famous wrap dress and more than one of her prints, one of which the Voice adds "actually looks a lot like an old Marimekko design."
Seems the designers don't have leg, or 3-inch heel, to stand on -- or do they? Pictured are a Forever 21 dress and a Diane Von Furstenberg dress, guess which is which! That's some pretty solid evidence, and the lawsuit also has some big names in the industry behind it.
Anna Sui, who based an entire career on resuscitating, revamping, and rethinking the vintage fashions of the 1960s and '70s, the decades when she was young, is also livid about Forever 21 ripping off her designs, and she's suing as well. So incensed is she that for her spring '08 show (a collection that style.com described in part as "pure Barbara Hulanicki," citing the designer of the iconic 1970s label Biba), Sui stuffed each gift bag with a T-shirt depicting the owners of Forever 21 on a Wild West–style poster with the legends "Forever Wanted" and "Thou Shalt Not Steal."Even Anthropologie (who surely rips off styles all the time) is in on the lawsuit! Everyone involved should be taking a good look at the history of fashion, however. Inspiration and influences are admittedly incorporated into designers own lines all the time. The Voice also points out that "lots of designers spend Sundays at the flea market. (They are, in fact, notorious for sweeping through the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show.)" Head there yourself later this month before the designers snag the rags, put their name on them and mark up the price!
Photos by Caitlin Thome.
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I, for one, am outraged.
Consumers don't care about the "talent". Only about the product and the price!
"clothes-copying clothes a criminal offence."
Fuck Diana!
Levi's invented denim jean's. Does that mean all who followed suit can be charged criminally?
People used to be happy with making a lot of money. Now they want to make all the money.
well I think people who stole the idea first should get the credit. like thomas edison.
lets also make it illegal for poor people to have stylish clothes
Either I buy designer rip-offs or nothing at all, because Im sure as hell not paying 75 dollars for a t-shirt from Anna Sui.
^hit the nail!
where are those pictures from?
Funny how this so called "designers" don;t see the class arguments that they are defending: excluding people is not cool. Idiots!
What a bunch of clueless idiots. I hope they get laughed out of court.
not for anything but this is not effecting these designers income at all. I could never afford 150$ for a dress ...however I can afford 23$ ... I promise you that none of the poor 20 something girls that shop at forever 21 would switch to the real thing if they stopped selling those items at forever 21. I do notice urban outfitter knockoffs in forever 21 a lot...but maybe its urban outfitters fault for being ridiculous and charging $30 for a friggin tee shirt.
Funny, because Anthropologie was sued last year for copying bag designs by Givenchy. Hypocrites.
Oh puleeeeease. Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui owe their careers to the styles in Seventeen magazines from the 1970's. Have they ever done a non-vintagey look?
without borrowing style we would be stuck wearing dead animal skin.
I'd hit that little chocolate number there - and also that caramel cutie that appears now and then on the Neighborhoodies ad to the left... : )
There's a lot of evidence that copying actually spurs innovation and spurs business for the big designers -- once their designs are in the cheap stores, the rich and fancies want something new and better. And they give it to them. Phooey on this lawsuit.
"without borrowing style we would be stuck wearing dead animal skin"
yeah and then we'd be copying fred flintstone!
this is just the fashion industry telling all the poor and middle class people they will never be "cool, hip, trendy, in-know, fashionable" whatever the f-k that all means.
A better argument in favor of knockoffs is that they actually increase the visibility and the demand for the "real thing." See The Piracy Paradox
F21 might actually be doing DVF a favor!
PLEASSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEE
I have worked in the Fashion industry for 35 years
Hell Im afraid to send a sample to any store.
if its any good it will be in the store in 6
weeks and i will get a statement "im sorry im covered on that look"
no shit from me the hard working salesman
This biz is about all about STEALING
give me a freaking break
as far as im concerned they all do it