White Fox Boutique accused of stealing designs from a small, local fashion label again

A small fashion brand has hit out at an Aussie giant, accusing it of copying their designs – the same week its founders bought a fourth multimillion-dollar property.

Australian fashion giant White Fox Boutique has been accused of “copying designs” from a boutique label.

The online fast fashion titan was called out by Sydney womenswear label Pfeiffer on social media for allegedly flogging its frocks.

The Pfeiffer team shared photos to Instagram comparing its popular ‘Apollo’ dress – a mini with a plunging neckline and knot below the bust – with a similar version sold by White Fox.

Pfeiffer’s Apollo dress is one of their most popular designs. Picture: Supplied / Pfeiffer

It features wide shoulders, a plunging neckline, and knot at the bust. Picture: Supplied / Pfeiffer

It compared a photo taken from the White Fox website of a model wearing a very similar yellow dress to the Apollo, writing the style “has already fallen victim” to imitation, per the Daily Mail.

news.com.au has approached White Fox Boutique and Pfeiffer for comment.

Pfeiffer co-founder Angela Aspradakis told Daily Mail Australia that her message to the fast fashion mega brand was: “Don’t rip off another Australian brand.”

“We don’t like the idea of tearing down another brand in our industry because we believe fashion can do great things, but the investment we make into ethical production in Australia, plus being carbon neutral, isn’t something echoed in fast fashion,” Ms Aspradakis said.

White Fox Boutique is accused of copying the design in its ‘Make It Shine’ mini dress. Picture: Supplied / White Fox Boutique.

The White Fox mini features similar features to the Pfeiffer design. Picture: Supplied / White Fox Boutique.

Ms Aspradakis said Pfeiffer has “swallowed” copycat attempts in the past, but she could not tolerate it this time, especially after White Fox founders Daniel and Georgia Contos splashed out on a fourth multimillion-dollar property in an uber-exclusive eastern Sydney suburb.

The couple purchased an off-market listing from Laing+Simmons in Double Bay earlier this week, bringing their total property spend to about $120 million in the past two years.

A caveat on the eastern Sydney property was lodged this week that showed the sale to a Contos business.

Ms Aspradakis said the news of the real estate acquisitions made the apparent copying “too hard to ignore”.

But design imitation is difficult to prove in the fashion industry, and Pfeiffer has apparently struggled to take legal actions against copycats in the past.

“The laws are that if you change 10 per cent of the design, which can literally be a fabric change, then it’s legal,” she told the Daily Mail.

And this is not the first time White Fox Boutique has faced controversy, let along accusations of copying the work of smaller Australian and international brands.

In 2022, a number of small businesses and influencers took to social media to call out the label for producing items similar to a number of brands, like Mr Winston, Miaou, and Dion Lee.

Daniel and Georgia Contos started White Fox Boutique as an eBay store in 2013. Picture: Instagram.

In response to those allegations at the time, a White Fox spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph it “takes intellectual property and the allegations … very seriously” but refused to comment further.

Since it was founded in 2013, the business has generated a multimillion-dollar net worth, largely thanks to its popularity on social media.

Its boom in success, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, landed its co-founders a debut on the AFR Young Rich List this year, ranking 62 and 63, with a combined estimated worth of $100 million.

The fashion retailer is a long way from its humble beginnings, where Georgia and Daniel sold clothes on eBay, before using popular Australian influencers to launch the stand-alone brand.

Today, White Fox boasts two million followers in Instagram, and has gained a worldwide presence as an affordable fashion staple.

Originally published as White Fox Boutique accused of stealing designs from a small, local fashion label again