Emilia Wickstead would have launched accusations of copying that have raised such a stir that they have led to a statement through social networks.
%20plagiarism%20controversy.webp "Meghan Markle's wedding dress and the (unexpected) plagiarism controversy")
There are dresses that are destined to go viral, and Meghan Markle's wedding dress was one of them: her wedding to Prince Harry had made headlines months before its announcement and her entry into the British royal family would officially take place with the look you chose for the ceremony.
One that, of course, was analyzed down to the smallest detail and that managed to surprise half the world for its simplicity and for the designer and brand that created it, that is, Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. And excessive popularity inevitably entails both love and hate, consensus and what it has brought up to this point, controversies. Because more or less unexpectedly, Meghan Markle's wedding dress has faced accusations of plagiarism.
According to the Daily Mail, designer Emilia Wickstead would have pointed out that the dress created by the British woman was very, very similar to one of hers. “Her dress is identical to one of our dresses,” Wickstead reportedly said. And although there is no longer a record of those words on social networks, a series of images appear on Instagram that have been interpreted by some users as a kind of veiled accusation or, at least, as an attempt to highlight similarities: a first photograph from the Duchess of Sussex were followed by two belonging to the “Helena” dress, published under the phrase “an Emilia Wickstead bride.”
The pattern was repeated again, with a new image of Meghan Markle wearing her first wedding dress and two other photographs of the Helena model, whose main characteristic, in addition to the smooth fabric and minimalist lines, is the boat neck.
The controversy reached the ubiquitous Diet Prada, which quickly positioned itself alongside Clare Waight Keller, arguing that such a universal silhouette cannot be claimed as its own, considering that it has appeared in archives for decades and decades. Result: more than 25,000 likes and more than 800 comments about it.
The consequence of all the media commotion that it has generated, since it has made the leap beyond the universe of pure and simple fashion, has been a statement from Emilia Wickstead in which she regrets everything that happened. “I am tremendously saddened by the comments that have appeared in the press and online media in recent days,” she begins.
“Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Sussex, looked absolutely gorgeous on her wedding day and I have the deepest admiration and respect for her. I don't think her wedding dress is a copy of one of our designs. I have great respect for Clare Waight Keller and the house Givenchy, a great source of inspiration for me. I wish Her Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess a wonderful and happy life together filled with love.”
This case once again brings into focus the eternal debate about copies, tributes and inspirations in the world of fashion and how fine, very fine that line is. However, the Diet Prada account already reflected her point of view in an interview with Vogue Spain: “It all has to do with intention.
I think that for something to be a tribute it has to be born from love. Being inspired by a current design may be jumping on the bandwagon of trend and success but doing it with a vintage design or one that you find especially inspiring can open a new way of expression. Old ideas, new messages. In the end, no fashion is completely new, right? ”
