Inspired by…
At the end of last year New York based designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh made headlines by accusing accessories label Mansur Gavriel (mostly known for their bucket bags) of copying one of her designs, a pair of mule sandals. Mansur and Gavriel denied the allegation and claimed that it was a mere coincidence and that they cannot claim ownership of a mule, slide, block heel or colour.
Now, I totally get that you can’t claim a heel, material or colour but when you combine these design elements in a certain way it can be hard not to draw any similarities. When I spotted low-heel suede pumps at MANGO and H&M, they immediately reminded me of Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s very popular and hard to come by Roberta heel (pictured above). If you’re an avid Instagram user or blog reader, I’m sure you’ve come across a pair of these shoes. Of course, this could all just be a coincidence but it’s much more likely that everyone’s favourite high street stores decided to do their own version of the ‘original’.
How you do feel about items that walk a fine line between blatant copy and original design?
Ik zag toevallig gisteren de versie van H&M voorbij komen op een blog en vond ‘m inderdaad heel erg lijken. We hebben het er eerder over gehad toch? Aan de ene kant is die prijs van de MNZ best belachelijk, aan de andere kant is zij wel degene die de trend is begonnen. Moet zeggen dat ik de schoenen toch wat minder tijdloos vind, maar wel nog steeds super mooi! Denk je erover om de Mango of H&M versie te kopen?
http://www.sartreuse.com
Ja, ik vind ze ook mooi hoor. Ze zijn inderdaad wel iets minder tijdloos dan jouw Ferragamo pumps bijvoorbeeld. Maar ik denk niet dat als je ze zou kopen dat je er 20 jaar mee kunt doen. Ze zien er redelijk delicaat uit.
Generally speaking, if I find an item that looks like it could be a straight up knock off of a design I’m familiar with, I can’t bring myself to even consider purchasing it. It just feels wrong. I’m sure I’ve unwittingly done it many times before when I wasn’t familiar with the original design, which makes me kind of sad to think about it. There’s drawing inspiration and adding a twist, and then there’s copying. If it’s too close, it’s a no go.
I agree! But do you consider these a knock off? They’re so simple, it’s hard to add a twist unless you add a few embellishments.
I actually bought the H&M ones and was debating to keep them or not. I knew of course that they were a “nod” to the MNZ. Honestly, if the real ones were a) not sold-out and b) stocked in a Paris store or available from a european online store without the whole shipping and duties hassle, then I’d get the originals without question. I’m sure the real ones are much more comfortable, they’re also more carefully designed and that’s why I’m almost sure that I’ll send the H&M version back.
The H&M ones look nice but I haven’t seen them in real life. I agree though, the MNZ shoes are definitely more carefully designed when you look at the details. If only they were a bit less expensive and available to us Europeans.