Nasty Gal is selling a pretty close copy of Designer Alexander Wangs SS2015 Flyknit Dress

[Left] Nasty Girl                                               [Right] Alexander Wang

Fashionista this week has drawn our attention too a pretty close copy of Alexander Wangs dress current selling on the fast fashion website, Nasty Gal. Nasty Gal is notorious for knocking off both established and up-coming designers, but whilst everyone is calling out Nasty girl for ‘copying’…’imitation’ and intellectual property infringement, another question comes to my mind, who copied who first? Above all else, let's not forget that Wang the retail-savvy designers 2015 collection was also inspired by the sneaker culture, and many well known high street brands.

 Cracking the cultural code 

There has always been a dialogic relationship between high fashion and the street. Designers are renowned for tapping into the reservoirs of culture be it past, present & future, to seek inspiration for their designs, high fashion influences the street, but I find it fascinating how  we interpret and view when the 'street' borrows from culture compared to when 'high fashion' borrows and uses motifs from the street. Wangs ability to channel the street, on various blogs has been celebrated, it is seen rather as a cool tribute to the brands he “borrows” from rather than a statement about his originality?  Even though the designer has taken his inspiration for his clothing and accessories from high street brands such as Nike, Adiddas, and Jordan (see below), his comparisons are touted as “numerous and fun!” and the designer is described as “innovative.” 

Wangs ability to channel the street is celebrated whilst Nasty Gals ability to channel high fashion is ridiculed. I find this interesting. And wonder why this is? This gets me thinking about culture, and both the taste dictating system of both fashion and the law. That being said, putting aside conversations about the cultural implications of copying, this Nasty Gal dress is still a pretty close copy, and does raise questions about intellectual property.

But the question still invites us to consider who copied who? Here are some of the inspired looks from the Wang collection below here

Nike Flyknit Lunar2

Nike’s Flyknit fabric provided ample inspiration for Alexander Wang’s lineup of colorful bodycon dresses. 

Nike Air Woven

Wang opted for his own version of the Nike Air Woven. Taking the shoe’s iconic weave pattern. 

 Air Jordan III “Black Cement”

Features one of the more popular Jordan models, a classic Jordan colorway of black/white/red, and the ever popular cement textured leather.

Adidas Stan Smith Primeknit

An absolute classic and obvious source of inspiration, adidas’ Stan Smith silhouette.