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Uniqlo is reportedly suing Shein over claims that it has copied its viral “Mary Poppins” shoulder bags, the BBC has reported.
The news comes after Uniqlo’s owner, Fast Retailing, filed a petition in the Tokyo District Court against Shein Japan and two subsidiaries in late December.
The Japanese retailer argues that the form of the product sold by Shein closely resembles that of its own product, and that 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”.
The BBC stated that Uniqlo’s “Mary Poppins” bag’s popularity was boosted after it became viral on TikTok, with TikTokkers showing how many items they could fit in it.
According to the BBC, Shein has been asked to stop selling its version of the bag by Uniqlo, which is also demanding compensation from the fast-fashion brand for any damages done.
Fast Retailing opened the first Uniqlo store in 1984 and now operates some 2,500 around the world.
Its most recent financial report revealed that the company made profits of 146.7bn yen (£79m) in the three months ending at the end of November, up from 117.1bn yen (£6.25m) the previous year thanks in part to sales to foreign markets.
Shein told Retail Sector: “Shein respects the intellectual property rights of others and takes all claims of infringement seriously. We are currently investigating this matter.”
