Plagiarism, laundering… when the fashion industry takes inspiration from small designers

The world of fashion is the most prolific and creative in the mainstream industry. Luxury and fast fashion are at the forefront. Alongside them, hidden in the background, are designers who stand out for their originality and ethical commitments.

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The fashion sector is one of the pillars of the mainstream industry. Thanks to substantial budgets and wide distribution, it has the power to market the most popular products on the market. However, this success is sometimes under the guise of plagiarism and washing, which is detrimental to small designers.

Plagiarism and scandal

Plagiarism in the mainstream industry is nothing new. Solutions have been put in place and the intellectual property code has been strengthened. In fashion, there is still work to be done, particularly by the fast fashion giants.

The Chinese ready-to-wear brand Shein, for example, was taken to court in July 2023 for copyright infringement. Three American designers accused the group of copying their work to the millimetre.

But this is not an isolated case for Shein. Small designers regularly denounce the brand for plagiarism of concept, design or motifs.

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The real problem for small creators is that plagiarism deprives them not only of potentially substantial remuneration, but above all of the recognition they deserve. Worse still, the groups have stopped hiring creators in favour of their dubious practices.

Ethical appropriation and washing

Alongside plagiarism, another more recent trend is flooding the mainstream fashion industry. It’s called washing.

A few years ago, small designers had the bright idea of setting themselves apart from the big brands by adopting new practices (local, organic, recycled) and making commitments in line with the fight against the climate crisis.

These new values became hype, and the fashion giants quickly realised the benefits of adopting these same commitments to enhance their image.

However, the major groups’ quest for profits hardly goes hand in hand with greener production. Despite this, we can acknowledge that they are implementing a number of strategies to move in this direction.

This washing has been a success with public opinion and buyers. As a result, small designers once again find themselves in the shadow of the big brands.