One of the many perks of the Internet is that it is easier than ever before for valuable information and inspiration to circulate worldwide. It is hard to miss out on any current national news or pop culture happenings with the world right at our fingertips — and this surely is a beneficial advancement for many reasons. In the year of 2020, the amount of data existing in the world was estimated to be a stupendous 44 zettabytes. Just one zettabyte is equivalent to one trillion gigabytes, and to frame this outrageous number even more so, the average iPhone has the capacity to hold 32-512 gigabytes. That is an excessive amount of data available to us online, and that data encompasses just about every topic in the universe — from recipes, to facts about outer space, to math equations. Especially in the realm of art and design, the Internet has made it simpler than ever before to circulate ideas. Many independent creatives, who may not have had the means by which to share their craft before the technological age, are able to spread their artistic visions with ease, using the Internet as a powerful tool to their advantage.
But along with the upshots of the Internet, there are, of course, some downfalls to the accelerated rates of sharing that we experience today. Piracy and intellectual theft are some of the biggest downfalls, as every year 230,000 to 560,000 jobs within media — including those of artists, creators, and publishers — are lost in the United States due to online piracy.
Some of the hardest hit victims of Internet thievery are independent fashion designers and creators. Piracy can occur within many mediums, such as television and film, but the fashion industry is no stranger to this phenomenon on or offline. Many large fashion corporations have been known to steal from smaller designers, and the catch is: it’s completely legal.
Let’s dive into this a bit. The fashion industry, although it is shifting toward a more sustainable and circular model, is still primarily dominated by large fast-fashion houses. These are brands that have been around for years, such as Zara, H&M, and Forever 21. In the past, these companies were hailed for their low prices and accessibility, but we are starting to see through their intricate facades as a result of growing awareness of these companies’ damaging practices related to labor laws and environmentalism. One of the biggest issues being brought to light in the fashion industry today is the unruly or unethical stealing of original designs. Many large fashion houses have the opportunity to view the ideas of small creators and designers due to social media and this has led to a lot of creative conflict.
Although it is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, taking someone’s ideas without giving them credit surely isn’t very flattering. Instances of this offense occur almost daily in the fashion world, and the popular Instagram account @DietPrada dishes out all the relevant tea on design theft to their followers. Acting as the woke fashion police of the Internet, Diet Prada is not afraid to hold large fast-fashion companies and conniving designers accountable. Here are just some examples of design thievery — made possible by the Internet we all know, love, and use — that the account has brought to light.
As you can see, this is quite a prevalent issue, and it does not just occur at the hands of larger fashion corporations, but also between smaller independent designers as well. The latter example proved to be one of the most infamous and controversial instances of Internet thievery, in which Danielle Bernstein, the owner of a well-known Los Angeles based fashion and lifestyle brand titled “WhoWhatWear”, stole designs from fellow independent designers. Danielle has been known to communicate with many small independent designers, often using her authority in the fashion industry to leverage free clothing and products. In the above fiasco, Bernstein approached the owner of a Black-owned brand, “We Are Kin Co.”, about gifting her a silky maxi dress from their latest collection. After receiving the dress, Bernstein then posted an almost identical design to advertise WhoWhatWear’s newest clothing drop — no thanks or acknowledgment of receiving inspiration from We Are Kin Co. was provided on Bernstein’s end. She has been accused of taking other designers’ ideas from the Internet in up to eight separate instances. Most of the accusations involve stealing from small businesses such as Etsy sellers or independent designers with fewer resources and audiences than Bernstein’s WhoWhatWear.
It is often stated that there is no such thing as “original” art — all ideas are conceived and shaped by their predecessors. I believe this to be true as well. Especially in the world of art and design, there is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from role models and exemplary archetypes. But there is something to be said about the way the Internet drives blatant thievery. Though the Internet is the best way for unknown artists to gain exposure to wider audiences, not every idea on the Internet is trademarked. If you are an independent designer or artist, I warn you to tread lightly. Currently these types of offenses are not completely protected by the law, unless a copyright is involved, and sometimes the more fierce competitor (even if in the wrong) may reign supreme.
As with all great things, the advances of the Internet should be accepted with caution. There can indeed be too much of a good thing. The amount of data on the Internet will only grow with time, and the capacity to share ideas will probably increase as well. This is not necessarily a negative thing, but for the sake of small creatives, I hope that we can find more ways for individual creativity to be protected online.