As college students, we are always looking for the newest trends, with the smallest price tags. Where do many people our age turn for such bargains? Forever 21. I have never been in a Forever 21 that was not packed, no matter what day of the week it is. They carry everything someone could possibly want, what seems like a million different racks of cute and original pieces and an endless supply of shoes, bags, scarves, and jewelry. You name it, Forever 21 has it. I know that I personally depend on them for emergency fashion dilemmas, last minute dates, or the nights I just have nothing to wear.
But I have bad news: Forever 21 has gotten itself into quite a bind. Next month, Forever 21 will be heading to court, facing some serious allegations. In 2007, they launched their new spring line, and within that line there were seven garments that were almost identical to the spring line belonging to the designer Trovata.
This isn’t their first rodeo though. In the last three years, Forever 21 has been sued over 50 times by such designers and stores as Anna Sui, BeBe, Anthropoligie, and even Urban Outfitters. They all claimed that Forever 21 took an element or article of their clothing and copied it, then sold it for a cheaper price.
Under the current U.S. law, only things such as prints and designs can be copyrighted on clothing, for example, Ralph Lauren’s famous Polo symbol.
Forever 21 didn’t necessarily copy any artwork from Travota. Rather they copied the unique stitching and button placement on their pieces, even though the laws do not protect basic design copying such as this.
There is pending legislation in Congress to ban the copying of any little detail. The Council of Fashion Designers of America started the legislation in order to expand the copyright laws to the “appearance as a whole of an article.” There is even a committee that has been installed by the Design Piracy Prohibition Act.
I sit here and think how ridiculous this is. If they pass a law forbidding any type of copying, designers will no longer be able to draw inspiration from one another. It will also make the market so much more competitive and have a huge effect on stores like Forever 21, who produce thousands of different designs several times a year.
There is no speculation that they will be discontinuing Forever 21, but if they are found guilty, it could have a huge effect on the production of their clothes and even their prices. Not everyone has the funds to purchase Anna Sui or Tovata, and I believe that it’s time the fashion world realizes that.