Young Fashion Founder Claims Louis Vuitton ‘Ripped Off’ Her Denim Design
A young designer took to Instagram last week with claims that Louis Vuitton “ripped off” her work for its Spring/Summer 2024 collection.
Caitlin Yates, a men’s wear designer and founder of her own independent fashion brand C8Y8S, shared pictures comparing her designs with one of the looks from Louis Vuitton’s S/S ’24 men’s wear line—its first under newly appointed men’s creative director Pharrell Williams. The two outfits both use squares of varying shades to create a pixelated effect on a denim jacket and jeans.
More from Sourcing Journal
Yates created her design for her debut BA collection at the University of Westminster in 2021. According to her, the ensemble referenced a local charity that helped fix computers for working-class children so they could continue their studies during lockdown. Made up of 3-centimeter-by-3-centimater squares, the “painstakingly” patchworked design featured 100 percent sustainable fabrics, trimmings and linings, she said. “The number of hours that went into this look was insane,” she said.
“To see a brand just steal a look and remove any form of purpose, and eradicate the sustainability behind it, genuinely breaks my heart,” Yates wrote on Instagram, where she has received more than 4,200 likes so far. “They have just used a print and called it a day. I’m not saying I created pixels, but there are just too many similarities between colours, print and placement. This look was thrown in randomly among the show, never once repeated. I am frustrated that the purpose and reasoning behind my work, can so easily be eradicated, commercialised and exploited.”
Yates, who is currently pursuing her master’s at Central Saint Martins, said she corresponded with employees at Louis Vuitton directly during her post-bachelor’s job hunt. This included in “email conversations with staff at Louis” where she discussed her work, portfolio and design ethos, she said.
“Sustainability is not only the approach to fabrics and sourcing but working ethically,” Yates wrote. “I am just a young designer, trying to make a career in what I love doing. Please don’t silence my voice within design, I am trying to speak for something.”
Louis Vuitton debuted its Spring/Summer 2024 menswear collection in June during Paris Fashion Week. The line features repeated uses of pixelated prints, particularly with camouflage color schemes. In one instance—the one Yates refers to as “an obvious rip off” of her own design—the fashion house pairs this pixelated print with a denim jacket and jeans.
Solve the daily Crossword
