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Remember Elle’s infamous Exposed: Urban Outfitters guest post? After reading it, many budget fashion followers (me included) lamented that we could no longer support Free People, a design company that is owned by the Urban Outfitters parent company and is involved in many of the shady practices Richard Hayne’s corporations promote.
Still, I have heard through the grapevine that some of you are still buying Free People – on the hush, of course. Here’s yet another reason not to: Elle has alerted me to a great example of Free People’s straight-up infringement of high fashion designers.
Check out these sandal boots (featured on ELLE News) by Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester:
They’ve been a big thing around many a fashion circle, including famous fashionistas Jane and Judy Aldridge, and whether you love or hate them, you have to admit that they’re totally unique.
…Aren’t they?
Free People doesn’t think so. Check out their “corset heels:”
Usually, this is the point where I’d make a sarcastic comment, but screw it: those are exactly the same. Free People didn’t even try to pretend this design was just coincidence, they straight up knocked off Ann D. What the hell?!
Now I know why I love Free People’s designs: they’re ingeneous high fashion pieces, stolen to make a profit. It sounds like someone in their company has a lot of ingenuity, but not a shred of imagination. Though I don’t have the extra cash to blow on high-end boots, I wouldn’t go out and buy a knock-off of a truly unique design, whether it’s indie, high fashion or corporate-made. I hope that after seeing this blatant thievery, you won’t, either.
Shame on you, Free People.
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speaking of which, why do you think people are not really talking about jane’s collection for u.o.? i never really saw pictures of it until a few people tweeted/emailed me.
(shucks, if this comment is stepping on toes, please delete it! sorry.)
.-= gilda´s last blog ..RÊVASSEUR for lovers and daydreamers =-.
Oh, how I wish I could afford some Anne D’s. (shoelust!) But as broke as I am, I can’t support people who steal other people’s IP! For shame!
I hate blatent knock-offs. Grrr.
.-= Princess Poochie´s last blog ..Out of the Realm =-.
Still Shopping Free People? Think Again… http://bit.ly/pCfpa
First of all, I definitely fall into the “love” category with these shoes.
Second, I agree that they have taken this knock-off to a shameless level.
Still, everyone who works at the big, mid to high end fashion houses (I did for ten years) knows that the top people design and everyone else copies. The question is only to what degree. If you cross the line of a designer with cash you may get sued (like D&B did to LVHM). But the indies can’t afford the lawyers, so they are stuck.
So, if you boycott Free People & Urban Outfitters, you may as well boycott everyone except small, independent designers. Come to think of it, not a bad idea…
Retweeting! Still Shopping Free People? Think Again… http://bit.ly/pCfpa
@Carol: I still have hope that there are some good people in power out there, like Diane Von Furstenburg. Donna Karan. Rick Owens, etc.
But I completely agree with you on the “if you’re going to boycott…” front. It feels like we’re continuously being pushed towards just… wearing no labels at all. Hell, maybe that would be better! But I honestly hope that revealing this kind of blatant disrespect for intellectual property will initiate a big shove towards independent designers are people with actual, y’know, morals and values.
It’ll be interesting to see where this kind of crap leads people. Hopefully to a place where fashion is free and *ahem* still an art form.
.-= Miss Elle´s last blog ..Gestión: las reglas no escritas =-.
That is so interesting! Anthropologie does the same thing with a lot of their jewelry lines. They will find a new artist, carry them for a season, knock them off, and then carry the same design at a lower price point. Shame on them.
i’ve been boycotting Urban since 2006, the whole Johnny Cupcakes story got me so mad!
im sad to see that 3 years latter, not only has the company not lost any popularity, or has not been sued so much it has gone under, but that it is thriving, has new branches and still rips off artists on a daily basis
its a shame
i wish consumers would be more aware of such things and would consider the impact of their purchases
.-= .tomate d epingles.´s last blog ..we want : funky rings =-.
Wow; is no company “safe” so to speak?
All of this talk about scandalous stores has got me thinking if I should research before continuing purchasing their products. Like Forever21, & H&M… It’s one of those things that you feel you would better off NOT knowing. At the same time, I definitely don’t want to contribute to a company who is shady, dishonest, & cruel.
Thanks for posts like this.
.-= Ev`Yan || apricot tea.´s last blog ..apricot’s closet: grey scale. =-.
We don’t have Free People over here (that I know of) but if we did I wouldn’t be shopping there.
I saw these on the TOPSHOP site and thought of this post:
http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=19551&storeId=12556&categoryId=73929&parent_category_rn=42358&productId=1273052&langId=-1
I believe those corset boots are by Jeffrey Campbell, not Free People. They’re just sold on Free People’s website. I doubt whether any of the shoes on the FP website are exclusive to FP or designed by them. See here: http://www.davidz.com/products2.cfm/ID/7602/attr1/6344/color/BLACK/name/Jeffrey-Campbell-Corset/
Jeffrey Campbell makes many shameless copies… also of Acne, of Alexander Wang… and I’m not going to complain.
[...] still tempted to shop the (admittedly gorgeous) designs that companies like Free People create, this post (outing their thievery of another designer’s unique styles) should give you some more [...]
Pretty much all affordable, mass-produced clothes (except your very standard stuff like plain jeans and tees) are designer knock offs. Some are knocked farther off than others, but the fact remains. It’s not remotely surprising that Free People does this… so do brands you find at Macy’s or JC Penney’s or H & M, Forever 21… well, anywhere, really. Pretty much anything that’s not couture is a couture knock-off to some degree. And unfortunately, most big companies are owned by Republican assholes. If you can afford to shop boutiques, that’s great, but a lot of people can’t. (Hell, I can’t afford Free People or Anthropologie either.) Resale shops are a good way to at least not support them DIRECTLY.
Give me a break! Ann D will still have her followers – the people who can actually afford her overpriced shoes. Thanks Ann for the great design. And, thank you Free People for copying. I can have a pair for myself now. Well, only if FP restocks. They’re sold out! Darn.