William Miles, an intellectual property lawyer and partner at Briffa, a specialist art law firm, said the problem of designs being lifted was becoming “ever more prevalent” in the fast fashion sector. “But they just keep stealing for some reason, which just isn’t fair.” “It’s frustrating because they do have power and resources to make proper collaborations with artists and still make a lot of money out of it,” said Pautrat, who says the latest alleged violation was in January. But a few months later, it happens again. But since that first incident, in 2020, she claims the company has lifted her work on about 10 further occasions and used it on products including stickers and prints.Įach time, she patiently writes to the copyright infringement team and calls them out on social media. After an exchange, Pautrat was paid some money from the sales of the product and promised it would never happen again. But when she posted her complaint on social media, Shein – a rival to Asos, Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing – wrote back and apologised. “They didn’t have my authorisation and never asked me anything,” she said.Īt first she didn’t receive a reply. It was a bit David and Goliath and I was completely overwhelmed.”įor those who do choose to take on the firm, it can often be a losing battle.Įlora Pautrat, 26, an illustrator and digital artist based in Edinburgh, sent a stern email to Shein after a fan messaged her on Instagram to tell her one of her ethereal purple cityscapes was being used on a mousemat. “But all I want to do is paint in my studio I don’t want to get involved with lawyers and could feel myself getting really stressed. “I was really angry that somebody could just take something I’ve worked so hard to produce. Photograph: Elora PautratĪside from posting on social media, Bowman thought her chance of success was so slim it was not worth spending more time agonising over. But, for many independent designers and artists, the time and energy involved with pursuing a complaint is too great to face.Īrtist Elora Pautrat used social media to call out Shein after it used one of her purple cityscapes on a mousemat. Some companies who claim to have had their designs copied have taken legal action, including Dr Martens and Levi Strauss. “I really don’t want to be associated with them at all,” she wrote. One illustrator, who claimed to have their skeleton artwork lifted, tweeted: “Shein stole my art and slapped it on a phone case, not sure if I should be flattered or mad.”Īnother UK-based artist said she had spent “hours creating new and fresh designs” and felt “a little bit of a sick feeling” when a fan told her that her frog artwork had been used on stickers sold on Shein. On TikTok alone, videos showing customers unpacking orders with dozens of items, labelled with the hashtag #SheinHaul, have racked up more than 4.5 billion views.Īs its customer base has grown, so too has the list of alleged copyright breaches.ĭozens of people have posted about their designs being stolen online, sometimes using the slogan #ShameOnShein.
Launched in Nanjing in 2008, and based in Singapore, the world’s biggest online fashion firm has a murky ethical track record, including on the environment and workers’ rights.īut despite its reputation, it has thrived, gaining almost cult-like status among teenage fans drawn to its constantly updated product range and ultra-low prices. The oil painter, 51, is the latest member of a fast-growing club of artists and designers who claim their work has been stolen by Shein.
While copyright infringement is far from new, Bowman’s experience is part of a wider trend. And they’ve just taken my world to China and whacked it on an acrylic jumper.” “The things I paint are my garden and my little village: it’s my life. “They didn’t remotely bother trying to change anything,” she said. Instead, she alleges it plastered her picture on its product without ever getting in touch. But Bowman had not partnered with the multibillion dollar Chinese clothing behemoth. The £17 jumper in the image attached to the email had a picture printed on it that was unmistakably hers. The Shein jumper bearing one of Vanessa Bowman’s designs.
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