James Charles accused of stealing merch design from fellow influencer: 'Combative and dismissive'
James Charles, a beauty YouTuber with more than 21 million followers, has begun designing his own merchandise for fans — but not without controversy.
H3H3’s Ethan Klein called out Charles when he noticed that Charles’ latest line looks suspiciously similar to one of his wife’s collections.
His wife’s clothing line, Teddy Fresh, also features items that feature a similar “colorblocking” pattern, which her husband said was the “same exact design.”
“It’s possible it’s all a totally cosmic coincidence but he used pretty much the identical colors here too, he at least moved em around a little bit,” Ethan Klein wrote in a follow-up tweet.
It's possible it's all a totally cosmic coincidence but he used pretty much the identical colors here too, he at least moved em around a little bit pic.twitter.com/fdJKm3sEiq
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) September 18, 2020
Charles said he’d never seen the brand before Klein reached out to him — in fact, he said he asked him what to do about the similar styles and did not receive a response before Klein went public with plagiarism accusations.
When you DM’d me yesterday, I sent you the original photo that inspired my collection, explained I’ve never seen your brand, but also asked what you wanted me to do... You didn’t reply. After last year, I vowed to keep conversations private and create solutions, not drama. https://t.co/6LGYZRHiCl
— James Charles (@jamescharles) September 18, 2020
“Colorblocking” is a fairly popular trend right now. A Twitter user pointed out just how easy it is to find a similar-looking sweatshirt online that isn’t even affiliated with either of the content creators.
James Charles ACCUSED OF STEALING MERCH. Ethan Klein from H3 and Teddy Fresh says “I know we didn’t invent colorblocking but I’m having a hard time w the new James Charles merch.” Hila also tweeted.
Senior Merch Correspondent Carl Teeshirt says “😐”
What are your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/7uNXV9NMp1— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) September 18, 2020
The feud is still ongoing, though, it seems.
“You told me you were going to sell them anyway,” Klein responded. “You also admitted that the similarity wasn’t a coincidence. I dm’d you because I wanted to keep this private but I found your response combative and dismissive.”
I give you permission to share our convo. You told me you were going to sell them anyway. You also admitted that the similarity wasn't a coincidence. I dm'd you because I wanted to keep this private but I found your response combative and dismissive. https://t.co/TGakaynFyw
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) September 18, 2020
We’ll see how this turns out — it’s sure to be colorful.
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