Brisbane teen claims clothing brand Lorna Jane stole an image of hers and printed it on

A BRISBANE teen is seeking compensation from clothing giant Lorna Jane, claiming the company stole something from her - and then sold it to customers.

Lydia Jahnke is a loyal lorna jane customer had an instagram pic ripped off and printed onto t-shirts by Lorna Jane. Pic Mark Cranitch.

A DEVOTED Lorna Jane fan is seeking compensation after claiming the fitness label stole her private photo and printed it on a range of T-shirts.

Lydia Jahnke, 19, was an avid fan of Lorna Jane with a wardrobe full of the brand’s activewear and aspirations to enter the health and fitness industry.

The Brisbane teenager built her own fitness following on her personal Instagram account and was overjoyed when Lorna Jane began taking an interest in her photos.

“Some of my images started to get reposted on the Lorna Jane account and I was so stoked,” Ms Jahnke said.

This Lorna Jane top features the picture Lydia Jahnke says she took at the top of Mt Lee

Lydia Jahnke's original Instagram photo.

“I got to meet Lorna Jane Clarkson as well, which was the best because I had looked up to her for so long.”

After a hike with her best friend in July last year, Ms Jahnke posted a photo of her atop Mt Mee on her Instagram account. The photo was then reposted by Lorna Jane.

Several months later, Ms Jahnke – who is the copyright owner of the photo – was shocked to see the image on the front of a range of shirts sold instore and online.

The shirts were selling for $59.99 and featured Ms Jahnke alongside the words: “The woman on top of the mountain did not fall there.”

“I was pretty excited until it was brought to my attention that what they did wasn’t legal … they never asked for my permission to use the photo,” Ms Jahnke said.

“I emailed the company and told them they had used my photo and asked them to send me a shirt, and they did so happily.”

The next day, Ms Jahnke contacted Simpsons Solicitors special counsel Ian McDonald to act on her behalf. Mr McDonald said the company had breached the Commonwealth Copyright Act.

“Not only have they used her photo on their T-shirt but she had no say in whether that could be used on the shirt or not,” Mr McDonald said.

Mr McDonald said Ms Jahnke would be entitled to ask for damages, which would include the normal licence fee and the profit made from the sales.

Ms Jahnke said she wanted an apology from the brand that she had trusted for so long.

“They said that I knew about the image before production, which was not true … that shirt was on sale for months before I ever found out,” Ms Jahnke said.

“They’ve built this whole company on empowering women and positivity but they won’t even be honest with me.”

A Lorna Jane spokeswoman refused to comment on the breach.

“This matter is currently being resolved between the parties and as such Lorna Jane doesn’t believe it’s appropriate to comment further,” the spokeswoman said