mxhkettleug

“We retail both Rajesh Pratap Singh and Rahul Reddy. I feel the fault also lies in our law. Sometimes this can be tough on designers. It’s not one or two pieces but an entire collection that has been ‘inspired’.”There must be some unhappy designers out there who would like to have a word with this anonymous team for labelling them copycats?Gauri Khan in a Falguni and Shane Peacock outfit inspired by Abu Sandeep’s designs“No one has directly reached out to us yet. We don’t want to make mistakes, so we make sure to cross-check. We need to support the person who has come up with the original design, not an upcoming designer with four tailors and no overheads or investment.

“Speed is very important in the fashion industry. “We can safely tell you that a lot of research goes into finding the correct source.Tina too believes in this. One must ask their assistants where a certain idea is coming from, what is the thought process. If you can’t keep evolving, then you eventually run out of business. We all have design teams and assistants who also design but it is the responsibility of the main designer to check every piece.”HighStreet HeadachesIt’s not fellow design houses copying each other that give designers heartburn, but the highstreet labels that ripoff high end styles, mass produce them by the thousands and make a lot of profit on them.” But their work remains very similar. “Mine is such a strong signature look that it’s a no-brainer that the retail chain has clearly ripped off my designs. I feel our outrage is suppressed by practicalities, so we don’t pursue these cases.Ravina in a Ranna Gill outfit inspired by Jenny Packham. Photograph courtesy: Diet SabyaRe-invention is the biggest strength of fashion. It’s the pyramid effect; you create something and it trickles down to the masses. And a freedom of expression for people who feel like they can express freely without being judged for their lack of a token fashion degree,” say the team behind Diet Sabya.”Designer Rahul Mishra too had an issue with highstreet chain Vero Moda and accused them of ripping off his designs.Nupur Kanoi worked with Anamika Khanna and their aesthetics are similar says Lata, but Nupur has her own sense of design and a very strong customer base.Speeding Towards SuccessThe main culprit behind the lack of creativity or the temptation to copy is the superfast pace that you need to maintain while churning out new clothes, in order to keep customers interested. What’s the best part of outing these copycats?

“Inclusivity. Every month you need to create new collections to keep getting customers to your stores.“You will never have this problem of imitations affecting your business if you constantly keep innovating. Now, both continue to do a lot of appliqué work and pin-tucks and neither has a problem with the other. While someone is copying your old designs, you will be churning out something new,” advises Narresh. We’ve been getting immense love (and some hate) from the industry, but love triumphs hate, right? Or, was it the other way around,” he adds.The Assistant FactorOne of the main reasons two rival collections look similar is because one designer either learnt or interned with the other, and now has the same ideology.

Lata Madhu, owner of the boutique Collage in Chennai explains this theory.. While they refuse to reveal their identity, the team behind @dietsabya says they don’t just label anyone a copycat.Guardians of CreativityThe good news is independent voices like Diet Sabya and Diet Prada are proving to be guardians of creativity and originality.Karan in a Shantanu-Nikhil outfit inspired by Anju Modi designs: Photograph Courtesy: Diet SabyaDesigner Anupama Dayal, who is known for her bright, happy prints that are a hit with actors likes Sonam Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, was understandably upset when she discovered an Indian retailer mass producing her work. If it’s a copy, the assistant must be pulled up,” says Narresh. Narresh explains this demand. International design houses have more of a conscience.There will always be a market for imitations. I sent the brand a legal notice but am still waiting to hear back. She says, “Often assistants leave the designer they worked with and come up with a similar look at half the price. You can’t piggyback on your mentor’s success to achieve recognition. When the People Tree sued Dior over copyright infringement over a handmade block print design, Dior settled out of court amicably. Rahul was Rajesh’s assistant for many years and parted on good terms with him. I haven’t even got an apology. There are no strong laws Single door refrigerator regarding intellectual copyright and I feel there is a complete disregard to creative work