Jewellery designer Eina Ahluwalia recently posted a photograph on Instagram stating that one of her designs was “ripped off” by designer Mansi Choksi. She had stated: “Just spotted our ‘Through My Veins’ cuff from our Forgotten Jewel Collection of 2012 ripped off by Mansi Choksi of ‘Made by M’... Not cool, not amused, not impressed.” Mansi had clarified on the post saying that while Eina’s was a vein cuff, hers had small lotuses on it.
Incidents like these makes one realise that there is actually a thin line between being “inspired” and copying their creations. Several months back Margherita Missoni, creative director of the Missoni fashion house, accused Micheal Kors and said that his zigzag prints looked really similar to that of Missoni’s. To this Stefano Gabbana of Dolce & Gabbana had said, “He does it all the time and doesn’t care! Unfortunately, there is no protection!”
“I don’t mind if someone from outside the country or small retailers are copying my designs, because that’s something you don’t have control over. But when another jewellery designer does it, it does look really odd,” says Eina.
Fashion designer Ridhi Mehra too has come across a lot of people whose creations have had close resemblances to her designs. She says, “Although it might be one’s first impulse, I don’t believe in publicly shaming someone. I move on because otherwise it hampers my creative process.”
Earlier, a few designers, on social media, accused that designer-duo Gauri and Nainika’s collection had closely resembled that of veteran designer Oscar De la Renta. The designers took it in their stride and said that if they were being compared to a fashion icon, they must be doing something right.
Meanwhile, Mansi Choksi, who was even ready to take down her design because of the allegations, says, “She (Eina) is an established name in the industry but that doesn’t mean I’ll copy her designs. At the end of the day we stock at the same retailers and if my designs were copied, wouldn’t they be the ones to notice it first?”
