Trashy Diva gets ripped off by one of their wholesale clients
I'm trying to help spread the word about an unfortunate incident affecting a local designer and company many of you are probably familiar with. Trashy Diva, the local clothing boutique, has just been ripped off by one of their wholesale clients in a big way.
Trashy Diva has been selling vintage style clothing for nearly 12 years now, and designer and owner Candice Gwinn takes great pains to adapt and modernize vintage patterns and tweaks them so much that these styles are truly her own, vintage inspired designs. One of her best-selling designs, the 1950s style halter top "Trixie" dress has been tweaked and perfected many times since it made its debut in 2002. One of her wholesale customers, Unique-Vintage.com has now taken it upon themselves to steal this dress design, have it manufactured in other colors but using the exact pattern, and sell it as their own. When asked about this blatant theft, Unique-Vintage did not deny it.
Whether it's a big corporation stealing from independent designers or a small business stealing from another small business, this is simply unacceptable, and customers need to be informed in order to make sure they're not making a purchase that will reward a design thief.
More information can be found about it a couple of posts I've already made on the subject and on Trashy Diva's Myspace:
http://www.styledash.com/2008/07/13/unique-vintage-com-steals-designs-from-lines-they-carry/
http://www.missmalaprop.com/2008/07/indie-designers-keep-getting-ripped-off/
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=26022526&blogID=414262493
I hope you'll consider helping to spread the word about this incident and continuing to support local businesses!
Trashy Diva has been selling vintage style clothing for nearly 12 years now, and designer and owner Candice Gwinn takes great pains to adapt and modernize vintage patterns and tweaks them so much that these styles are truly her own, vintage inspired designs. One of her best-selling designs, the 1950s style halter top "Trixie" dress has been tweaked and perfected many times since it made its debut in 2002. One of her wholesale customers, Unique-Vintage.com has now taken it upon themselves to steal this dress design, have it manufactured in other colors but using the exact pattern, and sell it as their own. When asked about this blatant theft, Unique-Vintage did not deny it.
Whether it's a big corporation stealing from independent designers or a small business stealing from another small business, this is simply unacceptable, and customers need to be informed in order to make sure they're not making a purchase that will reward a design thief.
More information can be found about it a couple of posts I've already made on the subject and on Trashy Diva's Myspace:
http://www.styledash.com/2008/07/13/unique-vintage-com-steals-designs-from-lines-they-carry/
http://www.missmalaprop.com/2008/07/indie-designers-keep-getting-ripped-off/
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=26022526&blogID=414262493
I hope you'll consider helping to spread the word about this incident and continuing to support local businesses!