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As consumers living in a capitalist society, I think we can all agree that it’s hard to say no to a good deal, but what does that really mean? What is a good deal? For most, a “good deal” can be referred to as getting the most bang for your buck, the best products for the cheapest prices. Fast fashion companies create the illusion of a good deal every day. On the surface of these companies, you’re getting large amounts of product for very low prices, and this appeals greatly to the average fashion consumer who seeks to keep up with trends while having a wide array of choices in their closet to pick from. What these companies often fail to provide is a good ethical deal. I could go on about the various human rights violations that have been discovered in the factories of large fast fashion producers such as Shein; how child labor is utilized, how workers are underpaid, how workplace safety often falls to the wayside, but one harmful practice the majority of these companies partake in that does not receive as much media attention is how they tend to steal their designs from smaller creators, particularly creatives of color, and even more commonly black women creatives. This is referred to as design piracy.
It’s no secret that fashion designers pull influence from each other, but there is a clear line between pulling inspiration and just straight-up copying that fast fashion companies continue to cross. A prime example of this injustice comes from everyone’s favorite fast fashion baddie brand: Fashion Nova. They’ve been caught copying small black-owned businesses multiple times, with some of the most notable examples being stealing dress designs from brands Hanifa and Knots and Vibes respectively. They made exact copies of the dresses using cheaper materials to sell them at significantly cheaper prices; and while this does make the garments more accessible in theory, the quality of what Fashion Nova produces is nowhere close to what Hanifa and Knots and Vibes produces, and there is no artistic integrity whatsoever on Fashion Nova’s part. The true cost of a “good deal” in this case is essentially stealing money out of the hands of black fashion creatives who are already statistically more likely to be overlooked due to racism in the fashion industry, as well as not respecting the time, effort, and skill that went into their original designs.
Another example of this crime against fashion being committed can be seen with designer Meonte Mitchell. Shein has been caught on multiple occasions ripping off his designs and selling them at cheaper prices, even going as far as copying the specific colorways his products come in. Mitchell can be quoted in a post on Instagram saying “That’s unfair practices, and a small business can’t compete with that,” and he’s 100% right. These huge fast fashion brands like Shein, because of their unethical production and labor practices, can replicate designs at a fraction of the cost while sacrificing quality every step of the way, as well as ensuring that because of the poor quality of the garments they’re bound to end up in a landfill within only a handful of wears, further polluting our planet. Fast fashion encourages overconsumption and is a massive proponent of why our environment is suffering today.
It’s easy for fast fashion companies to participate in design piracy because fashion designs cannot be copyrighted or patented as they are considered functional goods. It is especially easy for them to do this without social repercussions when it comes to designs created by black creatives because many social media platforms purposefully do not promote content created by black people to the same extent they do with white people, therefore, stolen designs are more likely to go unnoticed. Trademarking is the only way fashion designers can secure their brands in some form, and even still trademarking only stops logos or imagery ( ex. graphics) from being replicated.
Even in cases like the ones mentioned above, where the stolen designs are so evident, it is nearly impossible for smaller creatives to get the credit, attention, and business they deserve. Do your research the next time you think to shop fast fashion so you can understand what you’re really funding, because it may just be systemic racism.
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