Uniqlo claims that their wildly popular Round Mini Shoulder Bag has been copied by Shein, and they are filing papers against the Chinese fast fashion brand

Of all the bags to copy, Shein chose the most recognisable and one of the “hottest products” of The Lyst Index of QI 2023. Uniqlo’s S$19.90 Round Mini Shoulder Bag is, since its launch last year, ubiquitous, but that has not apparently stopped Shein from knocking it off. According to a recent Bloomberg report, Fast Retailing, parent company of Uniqlo is suing Shein in Japan for allegedly copying its beloved bag and had asked for the Chinese-owned brand to immediately halt the sales of the “imitation products”. The lawsuit was reportedly filed in Tokyo last month, not long after Christmas. Shein has not issued a statement in reaction to Fast Retailing’s action. It is not certain if the alleged bootleg bags are available only in Japan.

We visited Shein online to see if the said bag is sold. There are several styles that looked like the Uniqlo original (more of a half-moon—crescent even—than ‘round’), but it is hard to discern if they are exact copies. The closest in appearance that we found is one that is called a “minimalist hobo bag” and is available in nine colours. The asking price is an intriguing S$6—less than half of what Uniqlo charges for theirs, including the latest that is conceived in collaboration with Marrimeko. Shein describes the bag as a “Ladies’ Simple Casual Solid Color Crescent Moon Shoulder Bag”. In the “Reviews” section, one commentator wrote (and we quote verbatim): “This feels and looks like U****o lol this is way cheaper but the quality is almost the same periodt (sic).”

Last July, Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) sued Shein for what was reported to be “copyright infringement” of the Swedish brand’s clothing. And now this lawsuit by Fast Retailing. These cases can’t be favourable to the Singapore-based Shein after the company reportedly filed for the much-awaited US IPO last November. It is hard to say that originality matters to Shein or that it is part of their brand story. As they grow to be potentially the largest retailer in the world (they are still not selling in China, though), it is understandable and imperative that H&M or Uniqlo would want to hold them accountable for disregarding their respective intellectual property. But, if bootlegging is seemingly part of the Shein DNA, how can they aim for the better without playing a particular cat?

File photo: Zhao Xiangji for SOTD