When you start a small business, you never really imagine that one day your designs could end up being copied, mass-produced, and sold by someone else especially not by a major online retailer. But that’s exactly what happened to me.
It started off subtly. I was visiting a local market one weekend when I spotted some suspiciously familiar designs hanging from a nearby stall. They weren’t mine but they clearly were mine. My original ideas, my artwork, my creative fingerprint copied with no alterations except for being on cheap fabric. At first, I felt disbelief. Then frustration. And then, honestly just a bit gutted.
A few weeks later, I took a trip to Commercial Road in London a well-known wholesale street and I was once again shocked to see knock-off versions of pieces from my collection now being sold in bulk.
A couple weeks later a friend messaged me with a attached screenshot of a large, well-known online retailer selling four pieces of my collection. This wasn’t just a market stall or some backstreet wholesaler this was a well known name, passing off my work as their own.
I immediately moved to copyright-protect all of my images and artwork. Thankfully, I had a mentor I could turn to, who helped connect me with several industry contacts. But unfortunately, due to conflicts of interest many of these legal professionals had connections with the brand so no one could take on my case.
Feeling completely out of my depth, I reached out to the brand myself and entered what would become a nearly year-long back-and-forth conversation with their legal team.
Eventually, they invited me to their head office. I went, nervous with support of some family members and friends but hopeful and to their credit, they admitted to having seen my designs on SilkFred, the platform I had been selling through.
They suggested a potential collaboration as a way to move forward and tried to sweeten us up by taking us out for lunch and leaving the business card behind the bar on tab.
At the time, I sat on the idea of a collab. I wanted to believe that maybe something positive could come from such a negative situation. Maybe I could turn this nightmare into an opportunity.
But just as I was preparing to agree to their offer, coincidentally I noticed that they had listed a new product on their website which happened to be another design of mine.
I knew at that point that I couldn’t work with a company that built its success on exploiting young, independent creatives. I wasn’t just dealing with a legal issue anymore it was a matter of integrity.
I went back to their legal team, more assertive this time, but still not taken seriously. I knew then that I needed professional help not just for justice, but for my own peace of mind as I was stressed out.
After some searching, I found an amazing local law firm who agreed to represent me. From the moment I handed everything over, I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders. The emails, the stress, the worry my solicitor took care of it all and would check in with me regularly for clarification and updates. I could finally breathe again.
And the best part he got me a settlement deal that included compensation and a formal agreement. As part of the deal, I signed an NDA (so I can’t name the brand publicly anymore), but what matters most is this they haven’t stolen from me since.
This experience taught me a lot about the reality of being a small business in a world dominated by big names. As an independent brand, you simply can’t compete with the production power, price points, and legal muscle of these giants. When they steal your work and sell it at half your price often made with a cheaper quality it can genuinely hurt your business.
Beyond the financial impact, it’s emotionally exhausting. You pour your heart into every design, and when someone takes that and profits from it without credit, it’s hard not to feel invisible. Like your creativity doesn’t count.
But I also learned how powerful it is to stand up for yourself. I refused to let it slide, even when the odds felt stacked against me and in the end, I got the outcome I deserved not just financially, but morally.
If you’re a small business owner or creative, please protect your work. Copyright your images, watermark your designs, and don’t be afraid to seek legal advice if something doesn’t feel right.
And if you’ve been through something similar I see you. It’s tough, but you’re tougher.
“Protect your magic. Because if you don’t, someone else will try to use it as their own.”