Danielle Bernstein, a US fashion influencer and owner of popular brand We Wore What, has addressed allegations that she allegedly ripped off one of her designs from Aussie Etsy store, Art Garments.
As pointed out by Diet Prada, Bernstein claimed she was producing a pair of marigold shorts based on “vintage gym shorts from the ’90s.”
“Woke up to so many DMs about these shorts… they’re vintage gym shorts from the 90s and I’m already remaking them for my brand,” she captioned a pic of her wearing the shorts.
It was soon pointed out that they look a helluva lot like shorts being sold on Art Garments Wand according to their receipts, as retrieved by Diet Prada, Danielle bought two pairs from them back in November 11 2019.
Grace Corby, the owner of Art Garments, called out Bernstein for ripping off her threads.
“We all know fashion often references vintage, so I’m not sure why my pairs were chosen as a template and not a true 90s gym short,” Corby said, whose own shorts are based off a Berlin flea market find.
“I took what remained to a local seamstress with some amendments (longer, wider legs for a bit more coverage, stretchier waist).”
She added, “There are ethical ways to use vintage in the inspiration and design process. Tweaking and personalising. Ensuring you’re not siphoning credit and revenue from a small Aussie shop.”
Following the backlash, Bernstein updated her caption on We Wore What to say: “These are from Etsy and I totally thought they were vintage but they are made to order – someone on my team ordered them for me a while back.”
She added, “I will not be making them.”
