Phillip Lim is not happy, and he’s not afraid to speak out. The designer took to Instagram today to accuse major companies of allegedly copying his shoe designs, which he deems an “industry problem.”
Posting a side-by-side photo of a 3.1 Phillip Lim shoe next to a Topshop style, he wrote, “This happens all the time.”
Adding, “The sad thing is, there is no law that protects intellectual property in fashion industry, but that doesn’t mean I can’t call it out.”
Lim went on to accuse other high-street retailers, including Forever 21, Zara and Mango, of copying not only his designs but those of others as well. “You have built a greedy empire off copying other people’s ideas, not to mention your questionable #slavelabor practices,” he posted.
Lim also put Gucci under fire, claiming the fashion house imitated his handbag design from fall ’14. In a cluster of hashtags to go along with the Instagram photo, he encouraged designers to speak up.
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Lim founded 3.1 Phillip Lim in 2005. In 2012, he launched footwear to accompany his ready-to-wear label. And last year, Footwear News sat down with the designer to discuss brand growth.
He said, “We are making sure we get things right. That’s the authenticity and integrity of the brand.”
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