As a creative I know the time and consideration that it takes to make something from scratch. The dedication that you invest in creating and the ups and downs you face while doing so. It’s a lot of time and effort that’s behind closed doors that not many people see and this is why most creatives are attached and protective of their works. As they know the journey they’ve had to face, it’s not always an easy or glamours job.
Sadly, it never really shocks me any more as it happens SO to often these days.
A big company sees a remarkable design and copies it and usually poorly at that.
*Although I’m not certain if this is true in this circumstance but lets us it as a debate. Added 18/12/2012
Although, I’m not to shocked it always leaves me with more deeply rooted feelings of disappointed and anger.
Meg Perkins is a dear and talent friend of mine and I’m really disappointed that her necklace resembles quite a likeness to Lovisa’s necklace. work has been copied, BADLY. I know how long it takes her to make one of her hexagon pieces as I was helping her sand (by hand) the copper she uses as the base for the enamel only last week while watching movies. And that’s only one of the many processes she goes through to complete each piece. Her price point reflects the value of the time and effort that goes into each piece.
The most disappointing thing of the Lovisa cheaper badly made version, other than that, is the price point. It completely devalues any effort that Meg has put into developing her range. How does she compete with this? How does any artist/creative compete with this completely unethical way of doing business.
Exactly… you even see it in retail/cheap shops. Eg you see some cool handmade things at markets and online that are popular, then a couple months later I see stuff in shops that are using the same types of designs and materials and made in China.
I even feel that way about the ‘art’ canvases they sell, machine printed. Not exact rip off’s of a particular person but if someone can buy a crappy machine printed painting it can make it hard to sell your art to people who might like your art but think they can buy something cheaper elsewhere as the value of the love and dedication and skill are overlooked. Rant over.
Feel for your friend!
This makes me sad and angry too. I hope more people will learn to acknowledge and appreciate the quality of good and honest work. Maybe the “copy business” somehow teach us this..
The good thing is that you helped me discover Megan’s work, and it’s beautiful:) One of her necklaces is on my wishlist for Christmas!
Are there any original ideas left? Although I get what you’re saying here & the necklaces do look similar. Was your friend Megan the very first person to create this kind of necklace? Was she also inspired by someone else? These necklaces have been around for years & years in different formats, textures, colours, etc. It’s a bit unfair to say that Lovisa copied Megan’s necklaces exactly, don’t you think? I wouldn’t even think that they would know her website/business exists…
Thanks for you post Jade. I agree with your reasoning and with the position that there are no original ideas anymore, but ultimately there are several points that make this too coincidental.
Consider:
1) The hexagons are the same shape as Megan’s work (they could have been made differently)
2) The composition is close to Megan’s (removed enough, but still similar)
3) The material, vitreous enamel, is the same (unusual material for low-cost jewellery)
4) The finish on the enamel is the same
5) The colours selected, we’re those of Megan’s most popular pieces.
6) Both are Australian brands.
It’s also worth highlighting that Megan’s work is well known in the online & offline environment in both Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart. She’s represented on several well known and frequently visited online stores. She also represents herself at some of Australia’s largest design & maker markets. So given this wouldn’t it seem that there are too many ‘coincidences’ here for this to be considered an accident?
Remember, that companies like Lovisa are foremost businesses, interested in the production of low cost product to generate revenue and profit. These business models are unsustainable as they usually don’t allow room for the employment of designers who can meet the high-turn around demand to create original works for sale. Instead, most employ scouts to negotiate or source potential designs to replicate. Speaking from experience, I have been approach by scouts in the past and in one such instance this developed in to a close copy of my most popular print being replicated of a clothing line.
So granted, I acknowledge that for you, Jade, this post was ‘unfair’ towards Lovisa, but I believe it’s a matter of understanding and experiencing the industry. There are constantly instances like Megan’s occurring right across the network of creatives I associate with. And it’s important to raise awareness of the brands that do so