Fast fashion retailer Shein is facing a new lawsuit filed over intellectual property theft allegations from designers.
The suit, which was filed on July 11, alleges that Shein has been stealing the intellectual property of designers and using its corporate structure to largely avoid any legal repercussions over copied designs.
According to a report from The Fashion Law, independent designers Krista Perry, Larissa Martinez, and Jay Baron accuse Shein of “produc[ing], distribut[ing], and selling exact copies of their creative works.”
The suit also claims that Shein’s actions are “part and parcel of Shein’s ‘design’ process and organizational DNA.”
“When Shein copies a small or independent designer, the most likely outcome (without brand protection specialists and specialized software on the lookout) is that the infringement will go unnoticed,” the suit reads.
The suit adds that the clothing will continue to be produced if demand for the item remains high — and there appears to be no infringement threat. The suit also alleges that Shein uses a “secretive algorithm” to uncover trending styles and then reproduce them in small amounts. In the face of an infringement lawsuit over copied garments, the suit goes on to add that Shein would put the responsibility on an independent company — even though Shein has connection with the accused company.
The suit claims that Shein uses a “multiplicity of entities and [outwardly] decentralization structure…aid in its efforts to avoid liability for intellectual property infringement.”
Continued Infringement Claims
Shein has faced continued copyright infrignement claims from designers over the past several years. The claims range from creations being copied from indie designers to larger retailers like Zara.
The retailer has also faced investigations over labor law infringements at is factories.
Shein was most recently caught up in some backlash over a trip it sponsored to China for several US fashion influencers in June. The influencers sparked an intense response from social media over videos they shared from their trip on outlets like TikTok and Instagram. In the recaps of the trip, some spoke highly of the working conditions presented at the factories. These comments seemed to make light of the numerous investigations and allegations Shein has faced over working conditions.
The swift pushback on social media led to many of the influencers issuing apologies and deleting their posts about the trips.