More drama surrounding the Met Gala continues to surface.
American fashion brand Ralph Lauren is accused of copying the designs of Zang Toi, a Malaysian designer based in New York.
Ralph Lauren made a custom dress for singer Alicia Keys for the Met Gala. The sculpted column gown was accompanied by a New York-inspired duchess satin cape.
It turns out that Ralph Lauren did not come up with the cape design. They copied it from Toi’s Autumn/Winter 2020 collection, which was showcased at New York Fashion Week.
And to prove that Toi is the one who first came up with the design, he told the New York Post that it wasn’t his first time designing such a cape. He had a similar one in 2009. The one that he created in 2020 was to pay tribute to his adoptive city, New York.
“My cape was inspired by my love for my adopted home, New York City. I came here 41 years ago with $300 to study at Parsons School of Design, and I wanted to show my love and appreciation for the city that embraced me — and allowed me to live the American Dream,” he told the publication.
Helloooo @RalphLauren 🤭 pic.twitter.com/JY5ctVa2ZV
— 💋meelo eilish 🤲🏻 لاحول ولا قوة إلا بالله 🕊 (@ohmeelo) May 6, 2022
It is not the first time Ralph Lauren is accused of copying others’ designs. In 1994, they were slammed with a lawsuit by Yves Saint Laurent for copying a tuxedo dress and ordered to pay $350 000 (R5 606 720}
Social media users are not impressed with the brand being a copycat. Below are some of the reactions.
Im with Zang Toi. Not because he’s a Malaysian but ZT design is way much better than Ralph Lauren. https://t.co/tFvbEm5u76
— Della Azri (@dfordella) May 6, 2022
Ooof, @RalphLauren, i thought you would be better than this https://t.co/0i6bLbEAZJ