When celebrity entrepreneur Kim Kardashian West posted a photo of her wearing a custom gown designed by her husband Kanye West, she jokingly (or not) asked fast fashion brands to wait until she wore it in real life before they produced a cheap knock-off version. Little did she know—a storm was brewing.
Going through old fitting pics & found this gold look that Kanye made for me for my Miami trip last summer (I went w the neon vibes instead) P.S. fast fashion brands, can you please wait until I wear this in real life before you knock it off? 😂 pic.twitter.com/MZiGLmC0yI
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) February 8, 2019
KKW took to Twitter today to speak out against fast fashion ripping off designers. She referenced a specific one-of-a-kind Mugler dress she was spotted wearing two days ago, which was then recreated by Fashion Nova less than 24 hours later. The dress wasn’t even listed for sale, yet.
#Mugler pic.twitter.com/vj65wr20d7
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) February 18, 2019
Don’t Worry, We Got You Covered 👀
Search: “Winning Beauty Cut Out Gown”
✨https://t.co/iHIhdwqFFz✨ pic.twitter.com/mC1e9FyZlP— FashionNova (@FashionNova) February 19, 2019
Kim asserted her opinion that knocking off designers’ original ideas was disrespectful and unfair. Some people agreed:
I know right Kim 😔🙠Like how Dior recently stole from traditional clothing from Romania…..it needs to be stopped https://t.co/C2wtymLrpC
— 💧 (@lisapphics) February 19, 2019
Others, however, clapped back, citing how little the impact of copied designs truly matters to those who are not part of the elite or ultra-wealthy.
Capitalism does not care for original ideas, Kim. That's just the world we have created https://t.co/o4XNSwodty
— #freedom (@angiechuma) February 19, 2019
While I somewhat agree with this statement we have to consider why imitation is a thing. Society, especially in the “reality tv age” convinces ppl that we should all dress a certain way to be recognized. Not all ppl have the coins to buy high end designer. https://t.co/XTNMqIlWgE
— Ms.OverAchiever (@MsOverAchiever) February 19, 2019
Whether you think Kim’s reaction was disproportionate to the issue at hand, or agree with her stance on the matter, you’ll still have to sit on the waitlist for Fashion Nova’s iteration of the famed Mugler dress.