Zara may be in trouble for copying this independent artist’s designs

A case of Tuesday and Goliath.

It must be a tough gig for creatives. It seems that more and more often, the designs of independent artists are being replicated by corporate powerhouses without any credit, let alone payment.

Now in the latest copying debacle, Zara has been called out for allegedly stealing a number of illustrations from much-loved Instagram artist, Tuesday Bassen. 

Taking to Twitter, Bassen released a series of images, calling out the retailer for copying her patch designs. The images compare her original artwork to the patches seen on a number of garments being sold by the retail giant.

And there appears to be a striking resemblance.

Bassen discovered the alleged copies after loyal fans noticed the similarities and sent Bassen images via private messages. Her lawyer then reached out to the Spanish retailer.

Bassen revealed Zara’s lawyers responded, saying her designs were “too simple” to defend.

“Basically no one would know it was me, because Zara gets 98,000,000 visitors and I’m an independent artist,” she said in a statement to The Fashion Law.

But Bassen may in fact have grounds for a lawsuit, thanks to copyright protection. According to The Fashion Law, given the very detailed similarities between her illustrations and the products sold by Zara, Bassen’s chances are looking good.

And guess what? It may just be working.

The retailer has recently chosen to remove items from shelves that include the allegedly copied illustrations. Zara’s parent company, Inditex, announced the suspension of sales in a statement after the investigation was opened. 

Did Zara just busted? Eeek.