The Kardashians and Fashion Nova Are At The Helm Of Yet Another Controversy

Published on August 5, 2019

Fast fashion giant Fashion Nova has been the subject of controversy for quite some time now. The company, which is known for recreating celebrity looks and selling them online in record time for cheap, has garnered a massive following thanks to celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian-West. Here’s the catch, though, neither Jenner nor Kardashian-West endorse the brand, which rips off styles from luxury design houses to make a profit from the cult-like fan base that would do anything to look like a Kar-Jenner. Now, Fashion Nova is at the forefront of yet another controversy for allegedly copying a design that Jenner recently wore.

Kim Shui Accuses Fashion Nova of Copying Her Designs

New York based fashion designer Kim Shui recently accused Fashion Nova of copying her design shortly after Kylie Jenner wore one of her original pieces and posted a picture of herself in the dress on Instagram. The young billionaire makeup mogul uploaded photos of herself and her daughter, Stormi, wearing skin tight tie-dye pieces with drawstring fronts and a pair of matching gloves. Another photo depicts Jenner in a different skin-tight drawstring dress with the caption “spicy.”

Shortly after the photos were published, dresses appeared for sale on Fashion Nova that were almost identical to the Kim Shui originals Jenner was seen wearing in her Instagram photos. One dress was even named after the Instagram caption that Jenner published. The dress was called the “Feelin Spicy” Mini Dress. Tie Dye dress, on the other hand, has since been taken down from the fast fashion website.

Many consumers object to the business model of sites like Fashion Nova. The companies may offer clothing options at shockingly low prices, but the cost lies elsewhere. Often, companies like these jump on any trend they can find in order to make a quick dollar. These companies end up not making ethical decisions to combat the massive waste problem in the fashion industry. And many fast fashion e-commerce giants create a lot of different products that will have a 15 minute shelf life. Consumers purchase looks that have been recently seen on celebrities hoping to mimic their styles. This means that e-commerce platforms have to create a quick turnaround (often cutting corners in production) in order to hop on trends as quickly as possible.

Kardashian-West Takes On Fast Fashion Giants

Jenner has been able to stay out of the drama between Kim Shui and Fashion Nova. Her sister Kim, on the other hand, has been known to be more vocal about the damage that fast fashion retailers like Fashion Nova and Missguided have on the luxury fashion industry. Kardashian-West famously sued Missguided earlier this year for allegedly ripping off a dress she wore to an event. The dress appeared on Missguided’s website just days after Kardashian-West wore an exact replica to an event.

The alleged knockoff resulted in a $10 million dollar lawsuit back in February. Now, Kardashian-West announced that she won the lawsuit against Missguided for a settlement of $2.7 million. Kardashian-West is currently studying law. The entrepreneur and mother of four hopes to abandon her career as a public entertainment figure. As a lawyer, she hopes to fight for the reformation of the justice system.

Julia Sachs is a former Managing Editor at Grit Daily. She covers technology, social media and disinformation. She is based in Utah and before the pandemic she liked to travel.

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