In the fashion world, the line between inspiration and rip-off, creation and curation, has never been thinner. It seems as though not a week goes by without a little-known designer or artist levying plagiarism accusations at some major brand. It’s rarer for a major designer to publicly point the finger at another major designer, but it happens. Lawyers are called; cease-and-desist orders are sent. And in very rare cases, an aggressively passive-aggressive Instagram post makes the rounds.
Yesterday, Stefano Gabbana (Dolce & Gabbana co-founder and designer, namesake of the Kardashian family dog) took to Instagram to implicate Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld. Gabbana posted a side-by-side image of two Ionic-heeled sandals: one from Dolce & Gabbana’s ancient Sicily-inspired Spring 2014 collection, the other from Chanel’s ancient Greece-themed Resort 2018 collection. Though the sandals differ in color, material and type and number of straps, there are some notable similarities. The image was actually a repost, sourced from @whodiditfirst, an account dedicated to pointing out similarities between big-name brands’ designs. It’s essentially a more inclusive, Instagram-based version of Tumblr’s “Balenciaga Did It First.” (But “Balenciaga Did It First” did it first.) “Interessante…,” wrote Gabbana beneath the image, before qualifying “its (sic) just a repost,” throwing in some heart emojis for good measure.
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That said, Stefano Gabbana himself has, in the past, come under fire for suspected plagiarism. In 2009, Giorgio Armani accused D&G of copying a pair of his quilted pants. In 2015, Colombian artist Adriana Duque sued the brand, alleging that it had referenced her photography without credit or compensation. And, as fashion fanatics/devilish little imps behind @whodiditfirst point out in their most recent post, a necklace from Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring 2003 collection greatly resembled one made by Vivienne Westwood back in 1989.
#WHODIDITFIRST @viviennewestwoodofficial or @dolcegabbana
A post shared by WHO DID IT FIRST? (@whodiditfirst) on
…And thus, the circle of shade was complete.
[ via Fashionista ]
