Zara Sues LA Independent Label For ‘Serial’ Copyright Violations
Photo 260416167 © RobertWei | Dreamstime.com
Zara is no stranger to accusations that it may have ripped off the work of honest designers. Now, the tables have turned—the fast-fashion brand seems to have spotted its designs all over the website of an independent Los Angeles-based brand, and it’s feeling the pinch.
Earlier this month, the Spanish company and its parent Inditex filed a lawsuit in a New York federal court alleging that Thilikó and its owner built a business reselling Zara wares at jacked-up prices, and swapping out Zara’s labels with their own. Zara is suing Thilikó on the grounds of “serial” copyright infringement, false advertising, unfair competition, and misleading trade acts, according to a report by The Fashion Law.
The fast-fashion retailer is accusing the smaller label—which describes itself as a “socially-responsible” brand offering “long-lasting investment pieces” inspired by “Scandinavian simplicity and French elegance”—of rebranding Zara designs and slapping “exorbitant markups” that customers wouldn’t normally pay for at its stores onto the garments.
For an idea of Thilikó’s prices, Fashionista points out that a tank dress on the independent store would set one back US$498, whereas a comparable—albeit slightly different—costs just US$49.90 (US$29.99 now, as it is currently discounted).
In addition, Zara says the LA brand has reused as many as 32 photos with the same fashion models from its website.
ICYMI: Zara and its owner Inditex are accusing a “socially responsible” brand of co-opting Zara garments and selling them as its own. https://t.co/U3nX4HLTUx pic.twitter.com/JU9A32dLOE
— The Fashion Law (@TheFashionLaw) January 10, 2023
Zara argues that Thilikó is giving shoppers the false impression that the latter is the independent, “craftsman-like maker” of the pieces in Zara’s collections.
The Spanish firm is pursuing “substantial” monetary damages, along with compensation for causing “irreparable and unquantifiable harm” to its reputation.
[via Fashionista and The Fashion Law, images via various sources]
