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Urban Outfitters May Be Getting Inspired At The Flea

necklaces0510.jpg
L: Crowe's necklace, R: Urban Outfitters necklace
Well this is simply shocking: Urban Outfitters is allegedly taking original designs, mass producing them, and reselling them for a low, low price at their store. Crazy, right? What next, novelty t-shirts and coffee table books?!

At least two Brooklyn Flea vendors are claiming the company's new Waylaid jewelry line looks an awful lot like their own creations, according to the Brooklyn Paper. 27-year-old designer Lillian Crowe debuted her line of jewelry featuring rib cages and bull skulls in March 2009, which the paper believes was at least 7 months earlier than it debuted at the store (though they're just going by online comments).

Crowe also noticed other pieces she says rip off fellow designers, like a shark jaw necklace; she told the paper she thinks "maybe someone [at Urban Outfitters] took an inspirational day at the Flea.” The store has been known to use indie designers as their "muse," but one source told the paper they've been trying to dispel that as of late. Anyway, not to be all down on the starving artists, but... are jaws and skulls really that original in the first place? Maybe it's time to dig a little deeper into the creative well... think: owls.

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Comments [rss]

  • brooklynbiatch

    it's not copying when thats clearly whats "in style" right now. does the designer think they are being creative making necklaces that look like skeletons? ive been seeing this around for years. get over yourself. art is about being 10 steps ahead.

  • JDS set you up and you knocked it out of the park Jen, comically speaking! Owls.

  • kafkask

    "Low, low price"?

    Nothing in UO is cheap. Cheaply made, but not inexpensive, that's for sure.

  • woodendesigner

    Companies rip off designs constantly. This is nothing new. Urban Outfitters is not even close to the only one. They rip off designs from high end designers too.

  • robingee

    They ripped off a very specific Johnny Cupcakes design, so I am not surprised.

  • YouWillLearn

    Johnny Cupakes - a faggot name for someone who ripped off Dave's Quality Meats.

    Burn in hell anyway.

  • 1stephanie

    They've been stealing ideas for years! Old news.

  • Guest

    I think Crowe is just jealous since UO's necklace is better looking.

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