California-based denim company, Vibrant M.I.U., operating as Huge U.S.A., Inc., has initiated legal proceedings against fast-fashion giant Fashion Nova, accusing them of selling jeans that are claimed to be “counterfeit exact replicas.”
Despite a decade-long partnership producing popular jeans, Vibrant alleges in a lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, that Fashion Nova, seeking to undercut Vibrant’s sales, shifted its designs to a third-party manufacturer to create cheaper imitations of their jeans.
The complaint asserts that Fashion Nova continues to sell replicas of Vibrant’s designs, including the well-known P88 jeans, endorsed by Kylie Jenner on Instagram. Vibrant claims that Fashion Nova not only duplicated their designs but also incorporated Vibrant’s original style numbers, such as P88, into the counterfeit jeans, blurring the distinction between Vibrant’s genuine products and Fashion Nova’s knockoffs.
Furthermore, Vibrant accuses Fashion Nova of utilizing deceptive search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to exploit Vibrant’s reputation, strategically manipulating the visibility of its jeans by targeting specific style numbers associated with Vibrant.
With Vibrant offering 17 jean styles in various colors, the company contends that its jeans played a significant role in Fashion Nova’s reported annual sales of US $2 billion, as per Forbes.
Citing confusion in the marketplace and damage to its business and reputation, Vibrant is seeking a compensation of US $70.4 million and an injunction to halt Fashion Nova’s sale of the disputed jeans. Fashion Nova, known for its trendy and affordable clothing, has a history of legal entanglements, including a past lawsuit from Adidas alleging the violation of its Stan Smith sneaker trade dress. As this legal saga unfolds, it underscores the challenges and complexities within the fashion industry, where the lines between inspiration and imitation can become legally contentious.
