dUCk Scarves recently launched a new collection called ‘The Artsy dUCk’, and a portion of the sales will go to the Pusat Jagaan Amal Asyura orphanage.
However, the collection did not sit well with many netizens as another local designer and brand – Nia Atasha (or known as Sleepy Lllama/Sleepy Studio) and Soonaru - have come forward to claim that the new dUCk Scarves collection bears a lot of resemblance to their collection which was released in 2018.
Claims of plagiarism
Nia, who is also a model and a TV host, aired her grievances via her social media pages and says that she’s devastated that the brand released a similar design and even copied the concept of her campaign photoshoot - which is in an art studio.
“I want to believe that Vivy is a lovely person and a great entrepreneur and im sure running a giant bussiness/company is no easy task, but BUT BUT WHAT IS THIS,” Nia tweeted.
Not too long after the accusations surfaced, Vivy issued a statement via her instagram story and said that “dUCk scarves didn’t copy as past accusations say, and this includes The Artsy dUCk”.
She added that the print for The Artsy dUCk collection was designed back in June 2018, while Soonaru X Sleepy Llama’s collection was released in December 2018.
“As for the campaign, since this collection is called The Artsy dUCk, we felt it was apt to have an artist studio theme. Many have done this concept but as usual, if dUCk does it, let’s boycott dUCk,” the FashionValet co-founder added.
Nia then rebutted Vivy’s claim and provided proof that she and Soonaru had been in discussion about their design since May 2018.
She also added that she’s even more devastated as she’s just a small timer who’s helpless and “will never win against the power dUCk has”.
“The ONLY accusation I’ll make here is that you need a NEW creative team because whoever you have now is constantly putting you to shame. Maybe think and be sad about that,” Nia said.
Ironically, the Sleepy Studio X Soonaru scarf collaboration is still being sold on FashionValet at the time of the release and allegations against The Artsy dUCk.
Netizens defend Sleepy Studio
It is unclear whether both parties have come to a settlement or a truce regarding the plagiarism accusations, but a quick check on Twitter shows that netizens are mostly unhappy with dUCk Scarves and how Vivy responded to the matter.Jefree star : Finding out the design was plagiat , delete the design immediately , fired them , apologised to the artist
— Jay #wintergarden . gyeowool will beat jesus (@yxusxnx) April 28, 2020
Vivy Yusof : pic.twitter.com/ZHVxK5GdOL
.@sleepylllama knows calling out Vivy may have been a dentrimental thing to do; she's a model, Vivy owns a multi-million fashion platform
— . (@takaharasuiko) April 28, 2020
And you should know that takes balls to put your career on the line.
But MAN big vag energy honestly kudos Nia
always hate how vivy handles things. like.... “nothing is my fault IT’s yOur fAULT FOR BEING UPSET ??? im rich and smart!! And i help ppl ? u should HELP ppl instead of being mad at ME Im perfect :-( ur bad for being mad”
— qai (@nomnrn) April 28, 2020
Again with playing the victim role.
— ? Stay home okay? Jangan degil ? (@SabrinaM2812) April 28, 2020
Your team work hard? Maybe not hard enough if tak buat ground work to make sure design yang nak launch will not resemble anyone else's designs?
Just one more due diligence step to add before launching a product to avoid being accused. Again. https://t.co/0I7YsUluAG
annoying gila vivy guilt trip ppl by saying a ~portion of the proceeds will go to charity? like girl thats not the point lmao teruk nya perangai vivy queen of deflecting blame
— Liena (@aidarshd) April 28, 2020
it’s v**y and du** again are we malaysians surprised by this??? pic.twitter.com/1T5d5OvPgi
— calcifer (@pxmpkin) April 28, 2020
vivy yusof resorting to guilt-tripping her consumers into buying her plagiarised designs for charity is shitty & uncalled for. please donate and help Pusat Jagaan Amal Syura directly and don't bother associating yourself with a company that refuses to take any accountability.
— ✧✵ · •• °° . ·* .•° · . ✯ *° (@bbbutterfly9) April 28, 2020
Well done Vivy Yusof. Daylight robbery at its finest. Jangan lagi nak menegakkan benang yang basah. The only way you can fix this is to apologize to the designer, donate all proceeds to charity of her choice and stop stealing other people’s ideas. Enough of dUcKing around. ?? pic.twitter.com/5EGayOx4CQ
— babeandsparrow (@babeandsparrow1) April 28, 2020
I wrote a professional response to IP theft allegations on behalf of Vivy Yusof. I think she should hire me instead of coming up with fauxpology on Instagram. Haha. ? pic.twitter.com/Qc1VwJIa63
— Pakcik Sia ✨ (@digitalkai) April 28, 2020
So, what do you think? Are they similar but not the same? Or is this just a blatant copy of someone else’s design?