Fast fashion brands Forever 21 and Zara are being accused by independent artists of stealing their original designs and placing variations on their merchandise. This controversy highlights a growing reality within retail: Designers have to be proactive about protecting their intellectual property and retailers need to be more responsible about tapping these creators’ creativity.
In a recent example of this intellectual property struggle, independent artist Tuesday Bassen shared a tweet including a comparison photo of her own designs and those released on Zara merchandise (shown above).
