Kim Kardashian has had it with fast-fashion knockoffs and took to Twitter on Tuesday to defend herself against allegations that she works with third-party brands to copy her designer clothes.
“It’s devastating to see these fashion companies rip off designs that have taken the blood, sweat and tears of true designers who have put their all into their own original ideas,” the 38-year-old beauty mogul tweeted.
“I’ve watched these companies profit off my husband’s work for years and now that it’s also affecting designers who have been so generous to give me access to their beautiful works, I can no longer sit silent.”
The rant comes just two days after the mom of three wore an eye-popping vintage Thierry Mugler design that had, within 24 hours, been copied and listed on
Fashion Nova’s website for just $50.
The company isn’t being subtle about the look’s inspiration, either; though the product description doesn’t mention Kardashian, the company shared its near-identical dress on Instagram Stories with the caption “keeping up with the shocking looks,” a play on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
Fashion watchdog account Diet Prada — whose creators, incidentally, have sparred with Kardashian and West in the past — was the first to point out the striking similarities between the two gowns after a Fashion Nova model shared photos from her shoot in the doppelgänger dress.
The sleuths added that Fashion Nova’s shoot took place on Feb. 14 — three days before Kardashian stepped out in her Mugler look — and that the photo files were labeled “Kim Dress,” insinuating that the star could be sharing her outfits with Fashion Nova in advance.
Kardashian isn’t taking that conspiracy lying down. “My relationships with designers are very important to me. It’s taken me over a decade to build them and I have a huge amount of respect for the amount of work that they put into bringing their ideas to life,” she tweeted. “So, as always, don’t believe everything you read and see online. I don’t have any relationships with these sites. I’m not leaking my looks to anyone, and I don’t support what these companies are doing.”
When reached for comment by Page Six Style, a representative from Fashion Nova also denied that the company was working directly with Kardashian.
“Fashion Nova is an ultra-fast fashion brand that is capable of executing design within hours and believes in fairness in pricing. We strive to offer our customers affordable leading trends,” the brand’s statement read. “We respect the fashion community and work with a variety of vendors, designers, influencers and celebrities to keep our style offering fresh and relevant. Kim Kardashian West is one of the top fashion icons in the world that our customers draw inspiration from. However, we have not worked with Kim Kardashian West directly on any of her projects but have been driven by her influential style.”
This isn’t the first time that Kardashian has spoken out against fast fashion. Less than two weeks ago, she posted a photo of a dress designed by West and begged retailers to let her “wear it in real life” before creating cheaper versions for the masses. Within a few hours, Missguided had already posted a waiting list for its own version.
Kardashian’s own family members have no problem working with fast-fashion brands, however: Khloé, Kourtney, Kylie and Kris have all sported looks from Fashion Nova in the past, and the latter two stars have posted paid Instagram advertisements for the company.
Rumors of a secret working relationship between the Kardashian-Jenners and Fashion Nova first emerged after Kylie Jenner’s 21st birthday celebration, when Fashion Nova knocked off the entire family’s looks less than 24 hours after the party.