Victoria’s Secret has been accused of ripping off designs from Black-owned companies.
Fashion watchdog Diet Prada revealed that the underwear brand has debuted new lingerie that looks similar to pieces from British brand Edge o’ Beyond. It also noted proof that a high-ranking employee from Victoria Secret had bought several pieces from Edge o’ Beyond—perhaps planning to recreate the designs for Victoria’s Secret.
“Two panty styles popped up on the VS site, both featuring distinct similarities to signature elements from black-owned lingerie brand @edgeobeyond,” Diet Prada wrote on Instagram. It also included a side-by-side comparison of pieces from the British brand’s Daisy range and the new Victoria’s Secret pieces.
Edge O’ Beyond’s lingerie features yellow, coral and blue floral embroidery over mesh fabric, while VS pieces boast similar color scheme and embroidery.
Edge O’ Beyond then searched through its order history and found that one of its customers shares the same name as the Creative Operations Coordinator at Victoria’s Secret. The person purchased over US$1,500 worth of lingerie from Edge O’ Beyond.
Edge O’ Beyond’s founder Naomi De Haan told Diet Prada that seeing a corporation as huge as Victoria’s Secret “preying on independent Black businesses and then using brown and black prison labor to copy our products was a huge slap in the face.” De Haan also shared a screenshot of the order list and the employee’s LinkedIn page.
