By Bethany Berkeley
Hennes & Mauritz AB is suing fast fashion brand Shein in Hong Kong for copyright infringement. The Stockholm-based brand accused Shein of copying dozens of signs in 2021 and asked for unspecified damages and an injunction to stop Shein from infringing on its copyright and trademarks.
Shein, which was founded in 2008 has quickly grown to dominate the global fast fashion market, with the use of social media-based campaigns and extremely low prices. Targeting Gen Z consumers in particular, the brand has become a rial for many fast fashion retailers including H&M.
However, the brand has not been without its controversies. Many have accused the brand of unethical working conditions and pay for its workers and small business owners and artists for copying and appropriating their designs.
This case marks the rare occasion where an established brand has filed a suit against the brand. It is believed Shein’s garments were a little too close for comfort for H&M, as the brand said the designs had a “striking resemblance between the products, showing they must have been copied” in the filing. The scale of reproduction was also noted in the filing as H&M stated the “sheer scale of [Shein’s] unauthorized substantial reproduction of the copyright works.” Shein is renowned for its massive amounts of reproduction, capable of reproducing up to 6,000 new styles a day.
Explicit details of the filing, including photos of a variety of items from swimwear to sweaters which H&M submitted as evidence that Shein stole its designs, were released to the public preceding a hearing at the Hong Kong High Court on June 21st. The next hearing is slated to take place on July 31st.
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