Uniqlo is suing Shein in Japan for copyright infringement

New day, new fashion lawsuit. This time, the drama is brewing over in Japan, where Uniqlo has sued Shein for allegedly copying its Round Mini Shoulder bag, Bloomberg reported.

The bag retails for 1,500 Yen ($10) in Japan, and “has become a global hit.”

Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing Co. said in a statement that it’s asking Shein to stop all sales of “imitation products” and pay damages.

“The company filed this complaint because it has determined that the form of the imitation products sold by Shein closely resembles that of its own product,” Fast Retailing said in the statement. “The sale of the imitation products by Shein significantly undermines the high level of customer confidence in the quality of the Uniqlo brand and its products.”

Responding through a spokesperson, Shein said it “respects the intellectual property rights of others and takes all claims of infringement seriously. We are currently investigating this matter,” The Guardian reported. It's not the company's first controversy.

In fact, over the years, the Chinese retailer has faced numerous accusations of copying the work of other brands and designers.

In September 2023, luxury accessories and clothing brand Chrome Hearts sued Shein for allegedly copying its signature cross and dagger motif. Shein has faced similar lawsuits from independent designers like Krista Perry, Larissa Martinez, and Jay Baron for allegedly selling “exact copies” of their designs, The Guardian reported.Even other fast fashion labels have sued Shein, including H&M, which filed suit in Hong Kong for copyright infringement last summer.

At the time, a Shein spokesperson told The Independent that it “takes all claims of infringement seriously,” and in September, a spokesperson told The Guardian’s Observer that “It is not our intent to infringe anyone’s valid intellectual property and it is not our business model to do so.”