Kim Kardashian is being accused of ripping off a pair of Emilio Pucci sunglasses that she wore last summer for her own collection — after suing a fast-fashion brand for using her likeness to peddle knockoff looks.
The 38-year-old reality star collaborated with Carolina Lemke eyewear to create her Versatile Collection, which launched in April. Three months later, she is being called out for allegedly copying the design of her $90 Chaotix frames.
Diet Prada, an Instagram account that serves as a fashion watchdog, shared photos of Kim wearing $370 Emilio Pucci sunglasses last summer alongside pictures of her modeling a suspiciously similar pair of shades in her sunglass campaign.
Lookalikes: Kim Kardashian is accused of knocking off the Emilio Pucci sunglasses she wore last summer (left) for her collaboration with Carolina Lemke (right)
Coincidence? The $90 Chaotix frames featured in Kim’s Versatile Collection (pictured) look nearly identical the $370 shield sunglasses sold by Emilio Pucci
Both pairs of sunglasses have the same unique shape, bright yellow frames, and dark lenses, making them pretty much identical in appearance.
Kim was recently awarded $2.7 million in damages and $60,000 in attorney’s fees after she sued Missguided USA for ripping off her looks, according to TMZ, and Diet Prada was quick to point out the hypocrisy.
‘Hey @kimkardashian, so it’s def not cool to use someone else’s name and likeness when promoting knockoffs, as evidenced by your win against @missguided, but should it be ok to use your OWN name and likeness to promote them? Lol,’ reads the caption on the post.
‘Funny how those SS17 @emiliopucci shades you wore in August 2018 ended up in your eyewear collab with @carolinalemkeberlin that launched in April this year. Hypocrisy at its finest!’
Photos from Kim’s shopping excursion last summer show her wearing a neon green outfit and a pair of Emilio Pucci’s shield sunglasses, which look just like the style featured in her collection.
Evidence: Diet Prada shared photos of Kim wearing the Emilio Pucci sunglasses alongside pictures of her modeling a suspiciously similar pair in her sunglass campaign
Accusation: The account, which serves as a fashion watchdog, called Kim a hypocrite for ripping off a designer when she sued a fast-fashion company for copying her likeness
Taking notice: The Diet Prada post attracted the attention of Emilio Pucci’s daughter Laudomia Pucci, who took over the family business when her father passed away in 1992
Get that money: Laudomia’s comment prompted people to beg her to sue the reality star
The Diet Prada post attracted the attention of Emilio Pucci’s daughter Laudomia Pucci, who took over the family business when her father passed away in 1992.
In the comment’s section, Laudomia shared a heart emoji, prompting commenters to say she should take Kim to court over the knockoff design.
‘Please please sue her or at least get a massive pay off,’ one person wrote.
‘I hope someone sue her a**,’ someone else commented. ‘This is literally copy and paste.’
In a series of Instagram Stories, Diet Prada went on to point out that the masks of Kim that were used in her marketing campaign for the collaboration look just like the masks of supermodel Grace Jones that were featured in her 1982 documentary ‘A One Man’ show.
Comments: Many people took to the comments section of the post to slam Kim, but one person noted he has similar shades made by various designers back in the 1990s
An ad for the campaign also looks eerily similar to some of the stills in the film, leading the account to ask followers if they thought it was a ‘tribute’ or not.
While Kim may be a fan of Grace Jones, it doesn’t seem like the model is a fan of her.
Back in 2015, Grace actually accused Kim’s husband, Kanye West, of ‘ripping off’ the images that her former partner, famed photographer Jean-Paul Goude, had taken of her.
Diet Prada’s latest post about Kim comes just five months after she took to social media in February to slam fast-fashion brands for copying other designers’ works.
That same month, she filed a lawsuit against Missguided USA for copying her trendsetting looks without her permission for a big profit.
The OG: Both pairs of sunglasses have the same unique shape, bright yellow frames, and dark lenses, making them pretty much identical in appearance
Spot the difference? Earlier this year, Kim said she and Carolina Lemke ‘designed this collection from scratch,’ including her shield sunglasses
Tribute? In a series of Instagram Stories, Diet Prada also pointed out that the marketing campaign for Kim’s sunglasses took inspiration from supermodel Grace Jones’s documentary
‘Missguided has repeatedly used Kardashian’s name and likeness without permission on its social media platforms to promote the sale of its clothing,’ the judge wrote, according to documents.
The court noted that the brand had pages dedicated to styles copied from Kim and even used her real-life images, which made it seem as if she was affiliated with the fast-fashion company.
Kim had originally demanded $10 million in damages but was awarded nearly $3 million after Missguided USA failed to respond to the court filing.
Critics couldn’t help point out the irony that Kim has been calling out fast-fashion companies for using her likeness when it looks like she has copied someone else’s design.
‘She used the money from her winning lawsuit to product the sunnies,’ one person joked, while another added: ‘Soooo should Pucci have that Missguided check signed over to them orrrr…’
Big win: Kim was recently awarded $2.7 million in damages and $60,000 in attorney’s fees after she sued Missguided USA for ripping off her looks
Hitting back: When she posted this photo of herself wearing a gold dress designed by her husband Kanye West, she asked fast-fashion brands to wait until she wears it to knock it off
Not the only one: Fashion Nova also ripped off the gold curve-hugging gown, telling Kim: ‘We just couldn’t help ourselves’
There was one person, however, who stuck up for Kim, sort of.
‘I had glasses that looked like these from Fendi and Gucci about 20 years ago,’ the Instagram user pointed out.
While speaking with Forbes in February, Kim opened up about her collaboration with Carolina Lemke, saying the 1990s-inspired sunglass designs were all creations that they came up with together.
‘Carolina Lemke really let me express myself. Together, we designed this collection from scratch,’ she said. ‘I wanted to create a complete range of sunglasses, from statement shields to simpler shapes, because I’ve always felt that fashion should be inclusive. It should be for everyone, and everyone should feel as if they’re part of the conversation.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Kim’s rep for comment.
Say what? When Kim stepped out in a vintage dress from Thierry Mugler’s 1998 archives in February, Fashion Nova released an identical $50 version of the frock less than 24 hours later
Can it be? Diet Prada was the first to call out the suspicious timing and accused Kim of secretly working with Fashion Nova
This isn’t the first time Diet Prada has gone after Kim. The Instagram account has been closely following the star for years and has even accused her of working with the fast-fashion brands she has been slamming.
When she stepped out in a cut-out vintage dress from Thierry Mugler’s 1998 archives in February, Fashion Nova released an identical $50 version of the frock less than 24 hours later, prompting speculation that Kim was working with the brand.
Diet Prada was the first to call out the suspicious timing, and the account later shared footage from Fashion Nova model Yodit Yemane’s Instagram account, which showed that photos of the site’s Mugler copycat dress were dated February 14 — three days before she wore it in public.
Meanwhile, the images were originally labeled under the file name ‘Kim dress,’ but the frock was later called the ‘Winning Cut Out gown’ on Fashion Nova’s website.
‘Kim, you’ll never fess up to your sneaky lil collaborations, but we got all the receipts,’ Diet Prada wrote.
Speaking out: In a lengthy social media post, Kim tore into the brands that rip off her looks
Outrage: The Keeping Up with the Kardashian star referenced the Mugler dress she had worn just days before
Making her point: Kim stressed that her relationships with designers are important to her
However, Kim insisted that she didn’t have anything to do with the copycat dress.
‘It’s devastating to see these fashion companies rip off designs that have taken the blood, sweat, and tears of true designers who have put their all into their own original ideas,’ she tweeted at the time.
‘I’ve watched these companies profit off of my husband’s work for years and now that it’s affecting designers who have been so generous to give me access to their beautiful works, I can no longer sit silent.’
She continued: Only two days ago, I was privileged enough to wear a one-of-a-kind vintage Mugler dress, and in less than 24 hours it was knocked off and thrown up on a site — but it’s not for sale. You have to sign up for a waitlist because the dress hasn’t even been made to sell yet.’
Fashion also denied working with Kim in a statement shared with TMZ.
‘Kim Kardashian-West is one of the top fashion icons in the world that our customers draw inspiration from,’ the company said. ‘However, we have not worked with Kim Kardashian-West directly on any of her projects but have been driven by her influential style.’