Anifa Mvuemba, the designer of the trend-setting and barrier-breaking luxury brand Hanifa, has supporters rallying behind her after Fashion Nova attempted to pass off one of her dress concepts as their own.
The fast fashion retailer was called out for targeting the Black designer for a second time when photos compared their orange and blue woven Symone Sweater Maxi Dress to the Hanifa Taliah Knit Dress.
Mvuemba’s “structured yet delicate design that prepares you to dominate every room you enter” retails for $1,098 and was first featured on the brand’s Instagram page in November 2023.
It was most recently photographed worn by Cardi B in September. Fashion Nova priced their copycat version at $54.99 but has since removed it from their site amid backlash.
Two days before she began resharing tweets about the controversy, Mvuemba wrote, “Its about to be a year. Lord thank you.” Thus far, neither she nor her business have provided commentary regarding the copyright scandal. But her supporters have.
An X user blasting the popular retailer wrote, “The Venn diagram of Hanifa’s target audience (those willing to pay ~$500 per item) and fashion nova’s target audience (those willing to pay $20-$50 per item AT MOST) is 2 separate circles. Intellectual property is being stolen, potential customers are not.”
If you own a Hanifa dress you’ll know that the quality is insane but again, people don’t care about quality or ethics or sustainability. We’ve cultivated a “I see it I want it” culture when we need to be asking ourselves what buying a cheap knockoff really says about us. https://t.co/lXkN3o4JTG
— BIG DRESS ENERGY (@ShakailaElise) February 18, 2024
“As someone who owns this original Hanifa dress and constantly marvels at the quality of the Taliah knit design: I can simply look at that Fashion Nova replica and tell you that it is barely going to last you ONE wash. Knowing her business ownership story… I hate this for Anifa,” read another post.
A third user declared, “I hope Anifa has been building her cases for all this theft going on. So many Hanifa designs have been stolen and re-created – fashion nova, pretty little thing, cider, shein etc.”
Some of the entrepreneur’s other creations have been worn by A-list celebrities like Beyoncé, Zendaya, Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross, and supermodel Iman.
Mvuemba’s merits include collaborating with Mattel’s Barbie for Harlem’s Fashion Row, being a 2021 CFDA Fashion Awards finalist, recognition as a Future of Fashion honoree by InStyle Awards, as well as being hand-picked by the estate of the late Jean-Michel Basquiat for an exhibit that honored his work with custom-designed dresses influenced by some of his most-recognized artwork.
Last night, @officialHanifa hosted a virtual 3D fashion show. Hanifa is a size-inclusive brand, owned by a Black woman, Anifa Mvuemba. Since we can’t have models or host a runway production, this was her solution. What do you think? #PinkLabelCongo pic.twitter.com/tC5KFoSCpG
— Asanda Sizani (@AsandaSizani) May 23, 2020
Her style marries intricate designs with 3D technology and fashion to create collections showcasing diversity in style, shape, texture, and inclusivity among bodies. Her trailblazing presence in fashion has previously made her a target of theft.
In August 2020, the Congolese designer shook the industry when she hosted a virtual runway show for her “PINK LABEL Congo” capsule collection in a livestream using 3D models and mockups of her creations.
Her genius was undercut when a since-deleted Forbes article claimed that “deep-tech” startup Bigthinx was pioneering a new look at fashion with its virtual show the following month.
The oversight, whether intentional or not, was viewed as an attempt to erase Black women designers from the industry’s records. “To see it credited to someone else the way that it was, it was really hard. I feel like it’s just what you experience, especially being a Black creator,” Mvuemba told Business Insider Africa last April.
Only because this sample took me monthssss to perfect. This is actually crazy. I’m not going to tag or mention them. But this is crazy. pic.twitter.com/GDZQg6vTBK
— AnifaM (@AnifaM) August 29, 2022
Meanwhile, Fashion Nova has a history of stealing designs and being called to task for their cheaply made clothing. Fellow designers Jai Nice and Luci Wilden have also exposed the company for profiting off of their works in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
In August 2022, the Hanifa founder tweeted, “Only because this sample took me monthssss to perfect. This is actually crazy. I’m not going to tag or mention them. But this is crazy,” when she caught a version of her $459 Jax Knit Gown prominently featured on sale for $49.99 by Fashion Nova.
“With Fashion Nova, I feel like they just don’t care—bottom line. That wasn’t the first piece that they copied. But I used social media at the time to talk about it because for that piece, in particular, we worked on that technique for almost two years,” the Washington, D.C.-based creative director told the online publication.
“So to see it ripped off, I was like, ‘No, that is a direct copy, and I’m calling you guys out on it.’ And they took it down, which was rewarding. But when it comes to copyright stuff, it’s really difficult to win those cases,” Mvuemba added.
Aside from claims of intellectual property theft, Fashion Nova has also faced a 2022 Federal Trade Commission lawsuit accusing them of blocking bad product reviews. They settled the case for a reported $4.2 million. It was also accused of exploiting Los Angeles factory workers and owing $3.8 million in unpaid wages.
