If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then SKIMS latest collection is verrrry flattering to emerging designer Cerise Zhane. As Fashionista reports, the SKIMS intimates, apparel and shapewear label is entering only its sixth year of business, and the brand has already cemented itself as an industry and consumer favorite.
But let’s face it, with names like Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede attached, it had quite the head start. Then add the star-studded ad spots with the likes of Tate McRae, Charli XCX, SZA, BLACKPINK’s Rose, and Sabrina Carpenter have accelerated the brand’s growth with shoppers who appreciate its luxury-looking items priced at less than $150, as well as its commitment to size and color inclusivity.
It’s a venture-backed darling, too: The company has raised more than $700 million since launching, over multiple funding rounds. In 2023, it was valued at more than $4 billion, and its revenue that year was estimated around $750 million. It recently began opening brick-and-mortar stores.
All this is to say, it’s a well-resourced brand that quickly became a huge player in the market. It’s why New York-based emerging designer Cerise Zhane was so disappointed to see Skims’ latest Valentine’s Day drop. Revealed last Tuesday via a campaign starring Blackpink’s Rosé, the collection features a handful of designs with unique heart cut-outs Zhane found “uncannily” similar to her own signature motif.
The stylist-turned-designer first pointed out the similarities on her Instagram story last Thursday: “As a small and emerging brand, I intentionally craft unique garments that can’t be easily duplicated or found anywhere else,” she wrote. “That’s why it was incredibly disheartening to see @skims mimic my designs. As an artist, it’s painful to see your work replicated, especially by a larger brand with unlimited resources.”
Zhane, who launched her eponymous label in 2023, was made aware of the Skims pieces via friends and online mutuals who sent her Skims’ and Kardashian’s Instagram content promoting the Valentine’s-themed launch. “I don’t follow the brand or Kim personally, so I didn’t see it,” Zhane said in an interview with Fashionista. “It wasn’t until people sent it to me and said, ‘Hey, I think this looks like yours.'” Some friends even thought that Zhane and Skims had officially collaborated.
“When I first saw it, I was at a loss for words because what’s specific and what stands out about [Skims’] design is the heart cut-out,” she continues. “The technique and the ruching around the heart was something that I completely came up with as an original concept. I wanted it to stand out.”
Zhane points out this specific cut-out technique is not easy to accomplish: It took her several months and numerous samples to perfect the design, followed by two years and five manufacturers to achieve the same design and quality as her sample. She uses heart-shaped metal rings, with each size customized to ensure a better fit.
Upon close inspection, Skims’ designs aren’t exact copycats: There are differences in the garments themselves and in the exact placement of the heart cut-outs. Fabric-wise, Skims employed cotton and elastane, while Zhane uses modal. Still, there are too many similarities to just write it off as a coincidence. “Even though they tried to change the placement or maybe the material they used, the concept was definitely something similar and it just couldn’t be denied,” she states.
Of course, the general concept of a heart cut-out is nothing new, but the type used by Zhane and Skims — employing a metal ring to create a ruching effect — is quite specific. That said, at least one other brand has offered this type of design in recent seasons: Tokyo-based Ambush used them on tops in its Spring 2023 collection — which launched months before Cerise Zhane’s debut (though Zhane maintains her design had been in the works for years). It was a natural interpretation of Ambush Creative Director Yoon Ahn’s established heart motif, which has been prevalent in her work since the brand launched in 2008. Perhaps Ambush was on the Skims moodboard as well (or alone)?
Regardless, it’s difficult for Zhane to prove Skims directly copied her work. There are no receipts suggesting foul play and the design is not patented. Her legal team advised her that there’s little to no action she can take beyond speaking out.
“For a smaller brand, it does take me a lot of time, effort and money to make these things,” she says. “Even with me having a small amount of inventory as a designer, anytime you have small MOQs [minimum order quantity], it costs more to produce a batch [compared to] something as big as Skims.” This represents a widespread issue among independent designers whose concepts are “duped” by bigger companies with whom they could never compete on price or quantity. “I feel like [this] is dishonest and it’s unfair and it puts smaller brands that try to be unique and stand out in the market at a disadvantage,” Zhane adds.
This isn’t the first time Skims has been accused of taking a little too much inspiration from others. Last May, for instance, British fashion influencer Camille Charrière called out Kardashian in a now-deleted post on X for allegedly copying a capsule collection she’d designed for British intimates brand Stripe & Stare. A floral baby tee bore a strong resemblance to one Skims later put out, Charrière claimed. (Skims never addressed the allegation.)
Next, Zhane says she plans to reach out to Skims for details on its Valentine’s Day drop. Other than that, she doesn’t plan to let this unfortunate situation negatively impact her future output. “Honestly, I plan on doing the things that I originally planned on doing in the first place,” she says. “I want to continue creating unique designs that resonate with like-minded women. I want to be intentional about the designs that I make, and I want to keep pushing for originality. That’s my main goal.”
—
Photo Credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com