Let’s talk about | original vs. copycat

Today I want to talk with you about a subject I personally think is quite interesting. Original design vs. “copycats”.

I’ve placed the word copycat in between quotation marks because if something actually IS a copycat depends on everyones personal opinion.

Currently the Bart sneaker by Isabel Marant is the so called “news of the day”. Is it or is it not a copy or very much inspired on the well known Adidas Stan Smith sneaker? An interesting discussion…because Isabel Marant isn’t the only one…

Adidas (of all brands!) designed a sweater which is very much inspired (to my opinion) on the famous Alexander Wang Parental Adversitory sweatshirt. Or the Michael Kors Miranda bag who looks pretty identical to the Mansur Gavriel bag. And let’s not forget the high street shops. Zara is formally known for it’s catwalk inspired clothes and dutch shoe store Sacha also sells sandals and sneakers inspired on Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant. And when you think you’ve seen it all there’s Choies who copies the complete item except for the original logo.

I have to admit I also own a few of these copycat items myself, like this Zara sweater inspired on the Céline collection (which I found after buying it by the way) and my new sneakers that are clearly inspired on Isabel Marant (which I bought as a test case, but still…). What to think of these copycat or inspired items? I get that high street shops inspire their looks on designers and what’s on trend, but I find it quite surprising that even Michael Kors and Isabel Marant, which design amazing things themselves, find their inspiration in other designers!

To make a long story short, what’s the limit for you? An inspired item or an exact copy? Let me know!