Forever 21 is one of those stores you love to hate, and hate to love. I get it-- it's tough to argue with a chain that allows you to cash in on a (sure to be fleeting) trend for nine dollars and change. Trends are fair game in the fashion world-- in fact, the industry thrives on them. But what happens when it's more than a trend that you see hanging on those overpopulated racks? Forever21 is no stranger to accusations of copyright infringement, and we've all seen dresses in prints that are no coincidence- Diane von Furstenberg, Anthropologie, and Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers have all sued the store for stealing their designs, and rightly so. Trovata, the first label to actually take the fast fashion retailer to court, has a tougher case to make: while the Forever 21 versions are too uncanny to be original, no prints or graphics were copied-- just button placement, striping, and stitching-- so while the designs (seven of them to be exact) were blatantly ripped off, there's currently no legislation to prohibit chains like Forever 21 from doing the same. The CFDA is working to push copyright laws to cover the appearance of entire articles of clothing (rather than specific elements) but Congress is stalled on the issue, and critics say this type of amendment would restrict apparel design and hinder the competition that keeps the industry alive.What do you think? Is Forever 21 guilty here? Is stricter copyright legislation necessary to deal with these situations? Feel free to comment with your thoughts!
Picture: Forever 21's designs are on the top row, Trovata's are on the bottom.
[via The Cut and WWD]
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