Love Island sponsor I Saw It First has been blasted by a small Edinburgh fashion brand for ‘ripping off’ a feather print design in a battle over a pair of silk pyjamas.
Sia Smith, lead designer for Their Nibs, said she was “devastated” to find the fast fashion giant ‘copy’ her hand-drawn feather insignia after being sent a promo image of the brand’s pink sleepwear.
The brand - which supplies many of the outfits for the hit ITV reality show - has since removed its version of the clothing from their site after being slapped with a cease and desist order by the Capital boutique and ‘called out’ for their actions on social media.
However Sia, 29, has called on ISIF to ‘do the right thing’ by donating profits made to charity and the excess stock to a women’s refuge.
“What I Saw It First has done is just so wrong; they are profiting by stealing other peoples’ hard work,” she said.
“There is no coincidence. Side-by-side, they are identical. The print is stolen pure and simple.
“It really hurts, because we are so small, we don’t have the weight behind us to really go after them, but morally and legally, this is wrong.”
ISIF signed a lucrative partnership with Love Island in 2018, with reports suggesting sales had skyrocketed by 67 per cent year-on-year since.
The copycat clothing was spotted by a Their Nibs stockist during an ad break on the show, with the retailer selling them for £13.50 - around £22 cheaper than the original version.
Their Nibs initially flagged the issue to ISIF on Instagram, but after receiving a direct message claiming the company was “looking into” the claims, they deleted the clothing from their website.
Their Nibs customers began to inundate ISIF posts with comments calling for the brand to admit wrongdoing, however these were swiftly deleted.
A legal cease and desist letter has been sent to the fashion giant, but Sia and company founder Fiona Bell were left frustrated by their conduct.
“They started to delete the comments, that was disappointing,” Sia said.
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“It was really heartening to see people who love our clothing get behind us and ask what they can do to help. We had appealed on Instagram and ended up getting some really good legal advice thanks to our followers.
“But there was an irony in this brand being called ‘I Saw It First’ when on this occasion, they definitely did not.”
Their Nibs are yet to receive a response from ISIF, but Sia has demanded the deadstock held by the retailer is not ‘wasted’.
She said: “They’ve taken the pyjamas down, which to me feels like an admission of guilt, but I’m now worried they are going to destroy the stock, which just feels really wasteful.
“We would much rather they went somewhere worthy, like a women’s refuge and we have an adoption charity in mind where we would like to donate any profits they have made from the design.”
Fiona added: “I Saw It First’s marketing online is all about ‘girl gang’ and women showing support for women; but stealing from a small business led by women isn’t in the spirit of that at all.
“We just want them to do the right thing; donate the profits to a charity, dispose of the unsold stock responsibly, and stop stealing from other peoples’ hard work.”
ISIF did respond to Edinburgh Live’s request for comment.
