Uniqlo has sued Shein over accusations the Chinese language fast-fashion e-tailer is promoting copycats of its beloved “Mary Poppins” cross-body bag.
In a authorized case filed final month in Tokyo, Uniqlo demanded the conglomerate’s Japanese arm, in addition to its mother or father corporations Roadget and Trend Selection, instantly cease the sale of the “imitation merchandise” – on this case, a dupe of its Spherical Mini Shoulder Bag – and pay compensation for damages incurred because of its sale.
“The Firm filed this grievance as a result of it has decided that the type of the imitation merchandise offered by SHEIN carefully resembles that of its personal product, and that the sale of the imitation merchandise by SHEIN considerably undermines the excessive stage of buyer confidence within the high quality of the UNIQLO model and its merchandise,” the petition reads.
The Japanese firm “takes a resolute stance in opposition to any act that infringes on its mental property and can take applicable measures in response, together with authorized motion”.
A spokesperson for Shein instructed The Guardian the retailer “respects the mental property rights of others and takes all claims of infringement significantly”.
“We’re at the moment investigating this matter,” they added.
Movies of the Uniqlo product – likened to the magical carpetbag carried by Mary Poppins for its means to slot in a shocking quantity of things, regardless of its deceptively small look – have generated hundreds of thousands of “likes” on social media prior to now 12 months, notably on TikTok.
Initially launched in 2022, it shot to on-line fame when consumer @caitlinphilimore posted a 43-second video of herself going by way of what she saved inside: a tin of lip balm, packet of biscuits, a pockets, keys, cellphone charger, hair clip, over-ear headphones, her EpiPen, a digicam, and a bottle of fragrance.
The bag, which retails for $24.90 in Australia, is so fashionable it grew to become Uniqlo’s best-selling of all time – promoting out seven instances in 2023. It was additionally dubbed “bag of the 12 months” by world search platform Lyst, beating objects from the likes of Bottega Veneta and Alaia.
Uniqlo beforehand instructed The Guardian that gross sales of the bag “elevated dramatically off the again of the TikTok impact and continued to develop all through the summer season and winter months as this merchandise continues to pattern”.
Its submitting in opposition to Shein is the most recent in a rising variety of copyright complaints in opposition to the corporate, which was based in 2008 and has been marred by controversy – together with allegations of labour abuse, poor garment high quality and unsustainable and unethical manufacturing output.
Final 12 months, Swedish retail big H&M filed a copyright lawsuit in Hong Kong in opposition to Shein, as did equipment and attire model Chrome Hearts.
Comparable accusations have been made on-line by small, impartial enterprise homeowners.
Shein has maintained that it “respects designers and artists, and the mental property rights of others”.