It must be a terrifying world out there for designers during fashion week – not just because they have to show their creations to a baying pack of critics, but because they now have to satisfy an army of eagle-eyed Instagrammers too. Perhaps the most prolific designer detective account @diet_prada, struck again this weekend, this time accusing Vetements’ Demna Gvasalia of ripping off a Martin Margiela design.
In a post comparing Martin Margiela’s classic split toe Tabi boots to Demna’s autumn/winter 18 iteration, shown in Paris this week, @diet_prada wrote: “Although Diet Prada has Demna’s seal of approval, we’re definitely not condoning the surprise appearance of Margiela’s iconic Tabi boots on the Vetements runway today.”
The lengthy post, which recognised Demna’s stance on references existing to feed the fashion imagination, and the fact that Margiela’s Tabi boots were themselves influenced by traditional Japanese socks, went on: “His work has always heavily referenced the fashion house (where he worked from 2009-2012), but today he took a more brazen approach for the FW18 collection he called the “elephant in the room”, plucking from the entirety of its oeuvre.
“We’re just wondering what newness Demna’s version is bringing to the table other than supporting the autobiographical fanboy concept.”
“That being said, there’s no doubt he has serious talent in rehashing big concepts and turning them into serious cash. We’re just hoping these boots won’t be produced. Being iconic as they are, it’s hard to fathom why anyone wouldn’t just buy the original. Otherwise, cool collection lol.”
Demna addressed the criticism backstage, assembling journalists and critics together to explain that appropriating ideas is something everyone does in the fashion world, “I went back to my roots as a designer, I went back to Margiela,” the designer explained to i-D backstage. “I wanted to show what Margiela means for me and for Vetements. What is it? It’s an approach, it’s not a person. It’s a way of loving clothes, breaking the rules with those clothes. And that’s what we did. “Everything is an appropriation. We live in a world that is full of references, and references exist to feed us in order to create something new from them. That’s the challenge I set for myself.”
Vetements aren’t the only brand to feel the wrath of @diet_prada — they’ve also feuded with Kim Kardashian and Dolce and Gabbana in the past year.