Two students are saying they were left high and dry after famed fashion brand Superdry ripped off their designs after entering a competition last year.
Darcey Rose, 21, a fashion design and marketing student got coattails ruffled last week after claiming clothing company Superdry took a design she entered into a competition to win a week at their headquarters in London was used without her knowledge in this seasons line.
After her post gained traction in the North East, content creator Gabriella Finelli spoke about her own experience with the now elusive competition in which she claims she's had a similar experience.
Both shared photos online side by side with their designs and the supposed copycats they say Superdry made from their drawings, Darcey wrote on Instagram: “Last year I won a competition with @superdry in which to enter you had to design a coat for A/W 19.
I got the chance to go to head office and work with the designers, doing a workshop to see how the design process works. I assumed nothing would become of my design, it was more of just an entry point in order to get to head office to meet the designers.”
Much like Gabriella Finelli, who said on her own Instagram just days later: “I also won a competition to work in their head offices to gain valuable industry experience.”
Both found themselves bursting for joy at the opportunity to gain an insight into an industry they were oh so desperate to break into, however, both also admitted they were not lead to believe their designs would be featured in the line should they win the competition.
Neither woman asked for compensation on their social media posts but did disclaim they would have appreciated “a little credit.”
While Superdry has so far not commented on the matter the increased attention around Darcey’s post, which now has over 3,000 likes and over 300 comments since posting five days ago, has gained media attention with the Daily Mail writing their own story on the situation.
Gabriella, who had worked for Superdry for more than three years at this point as a sales assistant, claims she was originally going to keep quiet about the experience but was inspired by Darcey. Gabriella spoke about how she had loved the experience of working with Superdry's graphic designers at the time and said: “Skip to a few months I notice the graphic is on a range of womenswear sweats. Naively I thought it was a coincidence but even so."
While neither has stated what terms and conditions were part of the competition it's been speculated by some on social media that both ladies may have signed away their rights to the designers when entering the competition unknowingly, but neither has commented on this. Darcey said: “Half of me is over the moon but the other half is angry and upset.
“This post will probably achieve nothing but I just felt I needed to share this in hope at least some people will see the achievement even if it's being sold as someone’s else’s work, which in the creative industry is a big slap in the face.”
While neither student appears interested in taking the matter further, both have created a stir in the industry about the licence to use others work and how this matter should have originally been handled by Superdry.
