A blue lace body-hugging dress has landed local designer Gavin Rajah in yet another copycat scandal.
This time it involves the wife of former Proteas’ Captain Graeme Smith, Morgan Deane, who wore the dress to the L’Omarins Queen’s Plate on Saturday.
She posted a series of images crediting Rajah as the designer.
“The dress I wore at #QueensPlate2016 by fabulous @GavinRajah featured on @Woman24,” Deane tweeted on Tuesday.
But little did she know there was an allegation that the dress could be another ripoff.
A patron of the horseracing event, Paula Einhorn, said in an e-mail titled “Liar Liar Liar”: “I remembered I came upon this when looking for a cheap lace dress online from sites like Aliexpress to eBay.
“Who is at fault here? The designer or Morgan herself? Has Gavin Rajah replicated this dress or has he simply sewn his own label into it,” wrote Einhorn.
This is the fourth time Rajah has been accused of copying designs.
First in 2013, Cape Town designer Paul van Zyl accused Rajah of copying his pebble dress. Rajah’s version won an award.
A year later, Rajah was entangled in another scandal involving a black dress which closely resembled a dress designed by Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad.
And then last year, a Han Chong dress worn by US actress Reese Witherspoon forced Rajah to face plagiarism queries after a similar dress was worn to the Val die Vie polo event in Cape Town.
Yesterday Rajah denied taking credit for Deane’s dress saying it was a “Three Floor Fashion” design which she had liked and misunderstood as being his.
“I was not at the office when Morgan picked up the dress. Whoever gave her the dress didn’t mention that to her, which I would have done.
“We are stocking a few items by Atiya, Two in One and Three Floor Fashion. The dress was incorrectly credited as ours but it is from Three Floor Fashion,” said Rajah.
Deane, who has been dressed by Rajah twice before, said she “didn’t ask any questions when picking up the dress last week Friday”.
Three Floor Fashion director Yvonne Hoang said the dress was a design by her team from January 2013 which sold for about R3000.
“Gavin Rajah is not an authorised Three Floor stockist; there has never been any relations or contact with him.”
SA designer in further copycat allegation
This time it involves the wife of former Proteas’ Captain Graeme Smith, Morgan Deane, who wore the dress to the L’Omarins Queen’s Plate on Saturday.
She posted a series of images crediting Rajah as the designer.
“The dress I wore at #QueensPlate2016 by fabulous @GavinRajah featured on @Woman24,” Deane tweeted on Tuesday.
But little did she know there was an allegation that the dress could be another ripoff.
A patron of the horseracing event, Paula Einhorn, said in an e-mail titled “Liar Liar Liar”: “I remembered I came upon this when looking for a cheap lace dress online from sites like Aliexpress to eBay.
“Who is at fault here? The designer or Morgan herself? Has Gavin Rajah replicated this dress or has he simply sewn his own label into it,” wrote Einhorn.
This is the fourth time Rajah has been accused of copying designs.
First in 2013, Cape Town designer Paul van Zyl accused Rajah of copying his pebble dress. Rajah’s version won an award.
A year later, Rajah was entangled in another scandal involving a black dress which closely resembled a dress designed by Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad.
And then last year, a Han Chong dress worn by US actress Reese Witherspoon forced Rajah to face plagiarism queries after a similar dress was worn to the Val die Vie polo event in Cape Town.
Yesterday Rajah denied taking credit for Deane’s dress saying it was a “Three Floor Fashion” design which she had liked and misunderstood as being his.
“I was not at the office when Morgan picked up the dress. Whoever gave her the dress didn’t mention that to her, which I would have done.
“We are stocking a few items by Atiya, Two in One and Three Floor Fashion. The dress was incorrectly credited as ours but it is from Three Floor Fashion,” said Rajah.
Deane, who has been dressed by Rajah twice before, said she “didn’t ask any questions when picking up the dress last week Friday”.
Three Floor Fashion director Yvonne Hoang said the dress was a design by her team from January 2013 which sold for about R3000.
“Gavin Rajah is not an authorised Three Floor stockist; there has never been any relations or contact with him.”
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