Zara, the Inditex-owned fast-fashion juggernaut known for ultra-low prices and an abundance of designer knockoffs, doesn’t tolerate being given a taste of its own medicine. That’s something LA-based Thilikó has reportedly been trying to do.
As industry watchdog The Fashion Law reported, Inditex is taking Thilikó to court over what it calls his suit a “massive fraud.”
Charge? They try to pass off Zara clothes as Thilikó designs.
Zara charges copyright infringement and false advertising at Thilikó (and others!), placing particular blame on product photos displayed on Thilikó’s website.
As anyone can clearly see when searching for Thilikó products on the Zara website, the product and model images are identical. Confusingly, the material descriptions are sometimes mixed up — Zara lists the sweater below as “64% Polyester, 18% Acrylic, 10% Wool, 5% Alpaca, 3% Elastane,” while Thilikó claims it’s “20% Wool 80 % Polyester”.
A reverse search of model images on the Thilikó website will also show results from Chinese wholesale websites.
Thilikó is likely simply sending Zara products from Chinese manufacturers – possibly even the companies that make Zara clothing, though that’s just speculation – to put together her website full of stolen Zara photos.
What’s really impressive is that while Thilikó promotes and sells a knock-off of Zara, it’s posing as an ethical, sustainable fashion brand, selling its clothes at a shocking premium.
A dress that Zara sells for $49.90, for example, sells for $328 at Thilikó. Furthermore, by positioning itself as a “sustainable” brand, Thilikó secured distribution from multi-brand retailer Wolf&Badger and was even mentioned in Fashion overview of purchases.
The final nail in the coffin comes when you simply check the “our story” and “Thilikó For Good” sections of the Thilikó website.
These are the cornerstones of a brand that truly cares about quality: a strong mission statement, a breakdown of the steps taken to ensure ethical production, and a clear explanation of the brand’s values.
Instead, you’ll find text copied from Nanushka’s biography and Behno’s New York brand, except with Thilikó’s name inserted, supplemented in some cases with identical images.
All in all, it’s pretty hard to argue the case in favor of chance.
Thilikó is clearly wise to the issues, as the latest product upload to her site has replaced stolen Zara selfies with Instagram influencers, including Swedish vlogger Emelia Natascha.
Zara tries to win some cash from Thilikó and prevent the company from continuing to use her images; Influencer photos seem to hint at Thilikó’s next move.
While there isn’t much that can (or should) be said in Thilikóa’s defense, it’s not like Zara has come across as terribly likable over the years.
Just last month, Zara was accused of copying the style created by lingerie designer Mary Young, for example.
Not only can these independent designers never hope to financially stand up to Zara in court, but clothing styles can rarely be legally protected, which is why you more often see legal battles over logos and brands rather than clothing styles.
But in this case it’s a bit more of the latter and the ball is surprisingly in Zara’s court.