InstagramUh-oh! Haute retailer Versace is in hot water.
Los Angeles-based artist Kesh is claiming the brand took, well, major liberties with a design from her highly successful black-and-white collaboration with American Apparel, which was sold in flagship AA stores worldwide. Kesh's capsule collection was reportedly popular with celebs, including Jessie J and models Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn.
Kesh took to Instagram on March 30 with picture proof, writing, "at least make it better than the $30 original @versace_official. this looks like a first draft." Ouch.
The graphic faces on the two crewneck tees are pretty similar, so Kesh may have a point. We're also with her on price point—the pieces in Kesh's collection generally sold for $30. Versace's design, FYI, is selling at Selfridges for around $650.
What's more interesting? Donatella Versace is very aware of the culture of copying in fashion: In 2013, she tapped singer MIA to collaborate on a "bootleg," street style-inspired capsule collection for Versus Versace.
"Versace's designs have always been copied [and] now it's Versace that copies the copies, so those that copy must copy the copies. So this will continue," M.I.A. said at the time. (Yeah, we're still working that one out too.)
American Apparel isn't exactly out of the water either, but for a different reason: The brand came under some heat last week for an offensive casting call email that circulated in the media. (The email, however, was reportedly sent by PhotoGenics, the company hired by American Apparel to cast the models.)
In response to the backlash, American Apparel's senior VP of marketing, Cynthia Verland, told E! News: "We are looking for real, diverse models of all shapes and sizes that look great in our clothes. This is a core part of our brand DNA."
Do you think Versace took, er, inspiration from Kesh?