KNOCK OFFS or FAST FASHION?
“Is this a question with a blatant answer”
Pretty Little Thing — aka PLT are yet again causing a not so pretty~scene in their Fast Fashion Feast or should I say Fiascos.. What have they done now with their non-stop steals of yet another designers concept and manipulating it well let’s just say they “just used the identical idea of another’s” and blazed it across as many items that they could possibly mass produce.. Honestly it’s cool co-creating even using an idea to mould your own, but this is liberty-taking at it’s finest (uncontrollably giggling right now mixed with fierce eye rolls) next level if that even exists to Fast Fashion Brands..
Threading the needle —>what’s happened?
Wait a minute let’s establish some facts here — using a designers name on a garment is different from using their idea? PLT surprisingly (not really) decided to make garments using the concept of “newspaper print” on textiles for a range of womenswear (see photos). So they took the idea and used newspaper print on fabric (Galliano dropped this decades ago) but that ain’t breaking any fashion law — what they did was used gallantly Galliano’s name on the print.. Now that is where they dropped a stitch and overstepped the mark.. To add insult too injury did they really believe that this would have gone unnoticed? Ohhhh yes they did until a well known YouTuber photographed and dropped on her instagram tagging PLT as the source.. Take a bow influencers—->the unnoticed has now been noticed..
⚖️ Lawsuit or not?
Causing major confusion or not? Of course this will as I’m pretty sure Galliano did not and would he ever collaborate with PLT? I wouldn’t even dare ask that wild question..
Galliano who was the mastermind at Dior until he made a comment —- “loose-lips sinks ships”’at the fashion house for his remarks (we won’t go there today—I’m sure the fashion world hasn’t fully buried the memory of that slip of the tongue->ratchet) made. But could he have an infringement claim against PLT ? For daring {eye roll ~ they dared} and using his name without permission..
⚖️ Let us unpick this
Of course the one and only Galliano -> yes he can —-> is there such a principal.. I mean on the grounds of “confusion”.. Opening up the seams slightly: This means that he could likely make successful infringement claims against PLT for using the name if his legal team can establish a likelihood of confusion, namely, that consumers are likely to be confused about the source of the PLT garments —> easily done.. Or was Galliano involved in the creation ?! Let’s not even go there its like oil and water !!
In PLT’s defense this can easily allow them to slide in with an argument of “we used his name to decorate the garments” whoops we did it again and got excited and this was never a trademark -> to identify the source of usage, come on now it was merely used as decoration.. They can get away with it if their legal team are seriously on-point, and are ‘game strong’ in the area of “we didn’t mean too”. In other words it looks like a pretty little thing have masterminded an amazing escape {eyes rolling off the page}..
In the United Kingdom, protection comes by way of the “passing off,” a cause of action that prohibits the use of another’s name or image on a product or service in a way that is likely to mislead the consuming public into believing that the individual authorized or approved such use.
Dropping a celebrity’s face/name/image on merchandise without them knowing or let’s say “permission” is not an infringement of their rights —> not by UK law anyway..
And this is why I adore law —> in a stylish way of course #FashionLaw I am so sassy in my lawyer mode and let me know your thoughts by leaving me a comment “come co~create” with Tay —> that’s me.
Photo shouts: https://www.prettylittlething.com/
Fashion Brands Behaviour 