Double Bay’s Girls with Gems designer accused of taking inspiration from other big name labels
The Double Bay fashion brand appears to have taken inspiration from other local designers including Dion Lee, Christopher Esber and Maison Essentiele, hitting back at the copycat claims.
Confidential
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It was initially branded “dressgate” when a local boutique was accused of heavily borrowing the idea of one dress from another designer, however one week on it seems they may have taken inspiration from a couple of other top Australian designers.
This week cult Double Bay boutique owner Lia Georgantis, who also owns fashion brand Sneaky Link, launched a new collection and while there’s no denying there’s buzz around the launch, in some cases it’s for the wrong reasons.
Confidential has been inundated with texts comparing many of the Sneaky Link items to other designer’s pieces. Dion Lee, Christopher Esber, Maison Essentiele and Line La Mar are among the brands who Girls With Gems designers look to have taken inspiration from.
Confidential revealed last week that model and fashion designer Katherine Londono posted a frustrated rant on Instagram claiming Sneaky Link had adopted a design from her swimwear and resort wear Line La Mar.
At the time, the accused designer rubbished the claims, saying: “It goes against the core of what we do and who we are to rip off a small designer.”
Now our fashion savvy sources claim the Girls With Gems designers have created a number of threads similar to that of other local designers.
Dion Lee Frame Mini skirt - which retails for $349 - looks akin to Sneaky Link’s Sneaky Mini skirt which sells for $219, while Dion Lee’s $749 combat ribbed corset also resembles Sneaky Link’s Teddy Corset Tank which is $119.
But perhaps the garment which is causing the most buzz is Sneaky Link’s Jordi Lace Skirt which many say is very much like popular luxury womenswear brand Maison Essentiele’s trademark white lace skirt.
None of the designers commented when contacted.
However Lia Georgantis hit back this week on her social media page.
“We all get our inspiration from the same place!!! The runways, Pinterest, IG etc,” she wrote.
“You don’t own a white mini v neck dress just like you don’t own a lace skirt/pant/top combo, an oversized tee, a trench coat, a pair of loose trousers and the list goes on!!!
“The pie is big enough for all of us, STOP TEARING OTHERS DOWN. Stay in your own lane, build your team up, build your community and you do you.”
“I’ll say it louder for those in the back. YOU DO NOT OWN ENTIRE CATEGORIES OF CLOTHING STOP TEARING DOWN OTHERS.”
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