KEY POINTS:
Hate to spread filthy gossip but recently there's been a spate of spiteful letters sent to local fashion magazines and newspaper sections. In these missives the letter writer accuses certain designers of being down and dirty rip-off artists.
There'll be no naming of names but the letters led to many a discussion about the implications of imitation. Because let's face it, fashion is an industry rife with intellectual pillaging, logo pirates and catty burglars stealing design ideas all over the place.
And after all, when it comes to clothing, most of the time, someone, somewhere, has done something similar before. And if you look hard enough - and in enough fashion magazines from past decades - you will find evidence.
However after prolonged argument the conclusion here at Viva is that it's not all black and white. Instead, there are various kinds of copying, although that's not necessarily what you'd call them. And some of them are considered heinous clothing crimes of the worst kind, punishable by lawsuit and possibly copyright infringement notice, while others are standard practice and barely worth bothering our pretty little heads about.
ZEITGEIST
This is German for "a sign of the times". In fashion it's the sort of thing that happens when everyone is thinking about similar topics.
Example: Growing eco-consciousness in the fashion industry. If two designers both decided to do a line of environmentally friendly denim they couldn't be accused of copying each other.
In fact we ran into something very similar preparing this story. While working on it, one of our canny fashion informants called to inform us that the issue of a big international fashion publication, which had just come out, contained a story that was along very similar lines to this one. We're not copying, honest, it's just that great minds think alike.
PAYING HOMAGE
As in, the designer has "paid homage" to something - anything from artists to film-makers to other fashion labels. The phrase indicates some sort of loving servitude; the designer admires the creativity of that artist or film-maker so much, that they've paid them the ultimate compliment and worked it in alongside their own themes.
Example: In Italian designer, Miuccia Prada's whimsical collection for the upcoming European summer she paid homage to the Art Nouveau school of decoration, using soft curves and Art Nouveau style illustrations of fairies and plants. Other designers have paid homage to the same people but Prada did it her own inimitable way.
REFERENCING
When fashion writers say this they usually mean that the designer has taken note of something - again, it could be anything from a fashion era to an old movie to the work of another designer - and included references to that in their own clothing. Unless you're reading something sarcastic, the implication is that they are still doing things in a unique way.
Example: Uber-designer Nicolas Ghesquière says that he references the work of the designer who founded the French house he now works for, Balenciaga. In one of his first collections for the label he took the space-age couture looks that Cristobal Balenciaga was known for and referenced them, while also doing his own thing.
RETRO INSPIRATION
Now, many pundits would say that a little bit of retro inspiration is not a bad thing. What it really comes down to is your definition of a fashion designer. To some, a fashion designer should come up with unique designs in fabric. OK, so sometimes a designer may buy some cute garments from a vintage clothing store. They may take those cute garments back to their workroom, tear them apart and then take bits of them and add to them other patterns to come up with something that's their own. But at other times they simply copy that cute garment, making exactly the same thing in a different fabric and many sizes. And while this may mean the designer is a good business person and a canny stylist, it doesn't always mean they're a good designer.
Example: Kate Moss' collection for Topshop was a prime example of good styling. The serial rockstar fiance looks great in her vintage finds - so she had them re-modelled for mass consumption, made up in modern fabrics and multiple sizes, in one of Britain's biggest chain stores.
INSPIRED BY
This is a tricky one. And it comes down to how the word is used. Designers are often asked about their inspirations and they'll go on about anything from autumn leaves to fairytales. And fair enough too. However when the phrase is used scathingly it can mean that the designer has been a little too "inspired by", say, another label. It all comes down to how individual and unique the resulting look is.
Example: A season or so ago fashion editors who liked Marc Jacobs thought that the New York designer had been inspired by the madcap clothing worn in the legendary documentary, Grey Gardens. But the fashion editors who didn't like him said he had run out of ideas and had been "inspired" by more adventurous labels like Comme Des Garcons, who are better at deconstruction.
ADAPTATION
Ooh, watch out! Our so-called designer friend is now swimming in copycat infested waters. What's happening here is that they are going overseas on a shopping trip, they're bringing back an expensive designer dress and then they're "adapting" it for the New Zealand market.
By this we mean they're copying the pattern and changing, oh, maybe a few buttonholes. Or the hem. Or where the pockets are. Sometimes they don't even do that much. Basically this little number is almost a straight copy - except for small changes that keep the fashion police from the door.
Example: British company Marks & Spencer were recently forced by the label to withdraw hundreds of evening bags from sale after Jimmy Choo complained their $20 versions looked a little too similar to his $1000 ones.
RIP OFF, KNOCKOFF
This involves the same process as above but in this case no overt changes are made. No matter what your definition of design, this isn't it.
Example: The biggest recent scandal was a scrap involving Tesco, the UK supermarket chain, versus Parisian label, Chloe. Several leading UK fashion magazines called the Grecian-looking frock Tesco made a must have for the budget glamorista. Meanwhile the folks at Chloe called the $120 version a copy of their $1500 design, famously worn by Kylie Minogue.
Copycats - why should you care?
Hey, it is quite possible that you don't care at all. After all, you're never going to spend your hard-earned cash on that designer dress, price tag $2000 or more, let alone travel to Milan to buy it. So why shouldn't you get the cut-price version for an easy hundred bucks or less? Well, if you really want it, you should.
But before you pass over your credit card, it is worth considering the ethical issues around it.
You should consider whether the look still works when cheaper methods of manufacture are used and whether every other shopper out there is going to be clad in the same frock.
Most of all, you may wish to spare a thought for such issues as fair trade and environmental impact.
No one's saying you should care about the original designer's business -commercial life isn't fair and that's their problem. And they know this. The knockoffs haven't stopped coming so what's happening at the high end now is that designer labels are actually fighting back - by doing what they do best: design.
Could you imagine your local chain stores successfully copying one of those insanely intricate and beautifully made dresses from the recent Paris collections, or even some of the crazily constructed high heels?
Neither can we. And while they might be able to copy the prints or the basic styles, it is going to be pretty obvious to those leaders of style who know and who prize true design skills, that it's not the real thing.
