“Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.” In the world of luxurious gowns and artistic expression this is absolutely true, but comes with an asterisk. Within all parts of the art community there is some kind of “copying”. Despite the negative and borderline accusational connotations of the term alone, the definition of copying within this field remains ambiguous. In music, samples are sold and used and reused and worked to death. The same can be said in fashion. Within the fashion industry a certain degree of imitation is essential, however, smaller brands are at risk of having their ideas taken by big names due to the double edged sword of social media. While I believe that imitation laterally is an essential part of fashion. In the age of social media, the loose restrictions on imitation is increasing the potential to hurt lesser known brands trying to make a name for themselves.
The status quo in fashion has been that everything is fair game. Original pieces from a brand that have been “borrowed” can be made new through minuscule changes from brand to brand, season to season. Copying is fashion’s worst kept secret. From Yves Saint Laurent’s big bow dress of ‘83 to the many derivatives that came after, big name brands have always sought inspiration from one another. But, with the democratization of fashion and fast pace of social media, is this game of copycat doing more harm than in previous years?
Whether you want to call it imitation or even inspiration, there is no denying that some pieces are simply copy paste versions of others. The original flow of fashion and trends is vertical. In short, styles start with the rich and powerful then trickle down to the masses. Over the years this flow has been manipulated and disrupted to the point where it seems that there is no one particle flow of fashion. Big name brands are getting their cues from other big names, subcultures, archival pieces and any other source that could be inspiration. Social media has become the playground for artists to present their work without needing to put on a costly runway show or art installation. With the boom of social media, it is becoming easier for smaller name brands to get their work out there, but with greater cost.
Part of the job of anyone that creates art is to always border on insufferable in their desire to show their work. Occupational hazard. In the days of old, creatives had to think of innovative ways to get their name out there. Today, with everyone and their mother frothing at the mouth for new content and to be “in the know”, this aspect of creative careers has somehow been made easier and at the same time infinitely more difficult. While there are a multitude of platforms to showcase your talent, the likelihood that your work gets lost in the algorithm of someone’s highly saturated for you page is high. In some cases, you do get noticed by some hot shot director or art producer that takes an interest. Through diligent social media research and consistency you can make a name for yourself solely through the use of media.
A recent example that actually inspired this post is Valentino’s most recent collection that has pieces bearing uncanny resemblances to that of Maison Kimhēkim. Designer Kimente founded this brand in 2016 and has a current instagram following of 309K. Since I discovered this brand via instagram a few years ago I have admired their reinvention of a slightly edgier, minimalist, coquette style. Their affinity for bows and pearls are seen throughout their collections and are always presented in innovative, eye-catching ways. While this piece is about imitation, this is not to say that Maison Kimhēkim is the only designer that is allowed to use these elements and everyone else therefore is imitating them. There are other designers such as Sandy Liang that have their own type of bow that they use as a calling card in their designs, but the shape and style of this element is easily distinguishable. While examining Maison Valentinto’s collection, I noticed some similarities, but did not think much of it until Kimhēkim’s page also made a post with the side by side. Some of Kimhēkim’s best selling and most notable pieces from 2021 bear quite the resemblance to a few pieces in Valentino’s Un Château collection. I’m not a lawyer, obviously, but I think the important question is who begat who? And if inspiration was found in some of Kimente’s designs, and no nod to their work was given, then who is this flow disruption and imitation really benefiting?
“Imitation is the greatest form of flattery” is a quote with a subdermal power dynamic. The rich and powerful can afford to see it as flattery, but are we are also at fault for enabling this unregulated system of imitation with our need for constant newness? I am in no way capable of assigning blame to either sides for the similarities in pieces. This could all be coincidental. Regardless, there are still countless other, more obvious, cases of big companies, more typically fast fashion companies, finding their inspiration from smaller names and refusing to give credit. How do we regulate what is inspiration versus imitation and who can be allowed to imitate pieces? The system is as complex as the art that we create, but I hope in the near future we’ll find solutions and legislation for this practice and be more open to assigning credit where credit is due.
Comments