Knockoffs: Not Just Canal Street.

I always thought knockoff fashion happened only in places like Canal Street and in small corners and alleys of major cities. It got so bad once that Kate Spade ( and others) took out an ad in WWD calling out those thieves and threatening them with a law suit. I expect this type of behavior from the vendors down on those streets, not from someone like Anthropologie.

I was in the store this weekend and did buy a fabulous dress. And while I was in line to pay, I browsed the jewelry. What caught my eye was their Corvus Earrings. Many times on this blog, I have highlighted Objets d'Envy. They have been a client of Kick PR for over a year and the collections get great press and a lot of buzz. So, its no surprise that someone at Anthropologie probably saw the Objets d'Envy Crystal Ball Earrings. It should have ended there, but it didn't.

Click HERE for the Corvus and HERE for the Crystal Balls.

The Corvus Earring is the exact replica of the Crystal Ball Earring that Kirsten Goede, designer of Objets d'Envy, hand made five years ago! The difference? Price of course, and most important, quality. The Corvus is made of metal and glass, whereas the Crystal Ball was again, handmade and uses Swarovski Crystal and gold fill. Oh, and these were the original design.

I know when you are up against someone like Anthropologie, you don't have a leg to stand on, but this really upsets me. I get to know my designers really well, and I get sad when something like this happens, because the credit can be taken away. Small designers work so hard day and night to create special and unique collections, and then someone like Anthropologie comes in, copies the design, and takes the credit.

So, the message I guess is to keep shopping emerging designers. Often, the inspiration in many big stores comes from someone whose not getting the credit. I know it happens all the time, and maybe I'm most upset because its something close to me, but it gets me thinking more about this industry. Of course there will be cross over in trends and designs, and that's normal. But to copy something exact, not cool.

Shop Objets d'Envy this holiday season. Support emerging fashion and help give credit where its due.