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Activewear label Jaggad has been accused of ripping off Australian rival Nagnata

Words by Helena Bammant

The ribbed jumper rammy.

Another day, another fashion scandal. This time around, it’s on our shores – Rebecca Judd’s activewear label Jaggad has recently been accused of copying designs from fellow Aussie activewear label Nagnata.

Led by designer Laura May and her sister Hannah Gibbs, Nagnata is leading the way in the Australian fashion industry with its unwavering dedication to sustainability. Since its launch in 2017, the label has become known for its modern, utilitarian designs in premium knit fabrics – it’s singlehandedly responsible for the super flattering bike shorts and longline houndstooth crop tops every Bondi fitfluencer is wearing of late.

But Jaggad’s latest designs seem to be quite similar to Nagnata’s unique aesthetic, as Nagnata itself has noted. In a post on Instagram shared by both Nagnata and Laura’s personal account, a picture of a striped polo necked sweater was placed alongside a similar pink design from Jaggad’s latest collection Step Forward. “If this Australian brand is going to keep copying Nagnata and ignoring our emails, then we’re going to start calling them out,” the caption read. 

The visual comparison shows pretty striking similarities between the two. The ribbed Nagnata sweater at the centre of the allegations is made from organic cotton and is being sold for $385, whereas Jaggad’s viscose and nylon designs, with similar ribbed vertical stitching, are stamped with the Jaggad logo and retail for roughly $190.  

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Thanks for the reminder 🙄 Swipe right . If this Australian brand is going to keep copying Nagnata and ignoring our emails . Then we’re going to start calling them out 🤷🏼‍♀️

A post shared by NAGNATA (@nagnata_) on

Showing their allegiance, many Instagram influencers and loyal customers have been flooding the post with support. Instagram observers even suggested that the designs were so similar that it looked like a collab and called out Jaggad out with comments like “shame for ripping off a unique and ethical Australian label”.

Despite being repeatedly tagged, Instagram’s most influential fashion critic account Diet Prada is still yet to post about the incident. Nagnata also tagged online Australian fashion retailer The Iconic, pleading it to approach Jaggad. “We know your team would not support this, though [has] likely been unaware of the situation. Australian brands and companies should be supporting each other, especially during this time,” the label said.

The Iconic returned comment (which has now been deleted), saying “We have notified our buying team who will reach out to Jaggad to understand their position on this” and swiftly removed the items from the site. Meanwhile, Jaggad has denied the accusations, and a representative for the label stated: “Jaggad takes assertions of intellectual property infringement very seriously, In this case, it is clear that Jaggad has not infringed any other brand’s intellectual property rights”.

For now, any further legal charges remain uncertain, but this won’t be the last time both Nagnata and the fashion industry at large see these situations arise. Unfortunately, with so many grey areas and unprotected legal rights, the issue of copyright in the design industry is far too murky.

nagnata.com

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