I’ve watched so many slow fashion founders get ripped off by cheap imports this year. I started writing an article in April on five brands that had been copied and ripped off by fast fashion companies, and every time I finished interviewing one brand, another brand would pop up on social media with a new heartbreaking copycat experience.
My list of brands to write about just kept growing, and it became too much. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I started to think, what’s the point? The copycats are just too ruthless, too rich, too void of values, so it doesn’t matter what I write, they’ll just keep doing it.
But that’s giving up. That’s giving in. That’s saying, it’s ok.
But when we stay silent, it’s exactly the same as taking a certain side. Being a fence sitter gives your power away. We all have a voice for a reason, and that’s to use it to speak up.
Fast fashion is bad enough without ripping off the original work of incredible, talented, passionate and purpose-driven designers. So, I’m saying something. And if you’re reading this, please share it.
We need to encourage customers to support the source. To shop local. To steer clear of giant fast fashion online stores. To question, why is this so cheap?
Because it impacts real people. Every single one of these brands was ripped off this yeas...
Re/lax Remade: a beautiful artisan brand creating one-of-a-kind hats from vintage towels. Each hat is unique and ethically made by hand in Sydney, and they were ripped off by fast fashion retailer, Ghanda.
Bam Loves Boo: a Brisbane-based environmentally friendly children's label run by a mum who designs her own prints with signature boucle embroidery. One of her core designs was ripped off by fashion giant Seed Heritage.
Y Not Sissy: a handmade heart-led brand from the Central Coast that makes small batch size-inclusive fashion. Her dresses retail for $159 because they're ethically made from natural materials like cotton. She was ripped off by fast fashion giant SHEIN who even stole her photos and sold exact replicas for $29.
Last June: a solo Melbourne-based designer making small batch limited releases, was ripped off by SHEIN. Yep, even the photos.
Little Love Girl: a hair accessory brand designed and lovingly handmade by a mum in Edinburgh, Scotland, using luxury natural materials. Her signature hair bow was ripped off by SHEIN and Amazon, and both stole her exact photos.
Kelsey Collective: a conscious, slow, sustainable Sunshine Coast brand designing small batch ranges in pure linen. Ripped off by a Chinese website ‘Chillinen’ posing as an eco brand. They stole her exact photos.
Gardenbelle Shop: an ethical, handmade and sustainable brand from the U.S. that uses certified organic cotton, hand-sourced vintage materials and upcycled fabrics. SHEIN ripped off one of their unique designs and made it with 100% polyester.
Honestly, this is just the start.
I’ve seen this too many times this year. And where’s the line? I mean, we’re all influenced by something else, we get ideas from the world around us, we take inspiration from designers we admire.
But there’s a line. There is a hard line that’s being crossed by SHEIN and Temu and fast fashion brands and no one is doing anything about it.
Can anyone do anything?
The brands I’ve spoken to can’t afford legal action, the government does nothing, and contacting the copycats rarely gets a reply.
There’s hope, though. Copycats can steal your products but they can’t steal your brand. They can’t steal your story. They can’t steal the feeling. That’s the part your buyers care about most. And the customers who jump ship for a cheaper copy
And the customers who jump ship for a cheaper copy were never your customers in the first place. Let them waste their money and go buy cheap, shitty fashion that means nothing.
Your real audience stays with you for meaning, mission, ethics, identity and heart. They don’t want the knock-off version of your values.
So how do you protect your brand from copycats? The best defence isn’t hiding your ideas. It’s strengthening your brand.
When your brand has emotional depth, community and a powerful story, counterfeit versions feel instantly hollow. They look the same, but they don’t mean the same.
If you want to stand out in a world of fast copies, you need a brand your customers love. That’s exactly what I teach inside my workshop, F*ck Fast Fashion. It’s where you’ll learn how to strengthen your story. How to own your value. How to build something no one can replicate.
Build a powerful brand in 2026 and attract loyal customers who don’t buy knock-offs.
Join my LIVE workshop tomorrow and build something meaningful.
Claire.
