Kiwi designers face-off with Aliexpress, Shein copies - RNZ

Kiwi designers face-off with Aliexpress, Shein copies Designers behind popular local brands like Ruby keep seeing their creations show up on fast fashion websites. They're at a loss about how to tackle the issue. Bella Craig Reporter 28 July 2026 5 min read Bella Craig Reporter 28 July 2026 5 min read Caption: On the left is the original Friday Flamingo dress online, while the Shein version is on the right. Photo credit: Supplied/Sera Lilly New Zealand clothing brands say they've had a gutsful of offshore fast fashion giants using their images and ripping off designs. It's prompted calls for tougher penalties and stronger monitoring across fast fashion sites, as well as better protection for small businesses. Ruby general manager Emily Miller-Sharma has seen several designs by her popular local label appear on fast fashion website AliExpress over the last couple of years. Emily Miller-Sharma, general manager at Ruby. Supplied NZ clothing brands being ripped off by offshore fast fashion Checkpoint Have you been affected by a cheap rip-off of a New Zealand design? Email bella.craig@rnz.co.nz. AliExpress is a massive international online marketplace, with sellers and manufacturers mainly based in China. Listings on the site used Ruby's images to sell replicas of their products, at a much lower cost. "Initially we were like what do we do? Because these are massive companies, you can't just call them up and be like 'please can you take my imagery down'. "So, we spoke with our people at NZTE (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) and they gave us the contact details for the correct place where we were able to contact AliExpress and get them to take it down. Ruby's Margie Tie Back Top. Ruby general manager Emily Miller-Sharma has seen rip-offs appear of the item on fast fashion websites. Ruby "It can be quite freaky actually, it can be quite scary when a massive corporation takes your design assets, your photographic assets and uses it as [their] own. "You don't know what to do about it and it actually feels quite lonely." Ruby's Matilda Cardigan. Ruby general manager Emily Miller-Sharma has seen rip-offs appear of the item on fast fashion websites. Ruby Sera Lilly, who owns a clothing brand called Friday Flamingo, based in Fielding, knows the feeling. Last year, a customer spotted some of Lilly's products replicated on fast-fashion website, Shein. The Friday Flamingo designer purchased them to see how they compared. "They weren't the same quality, [but] same kind of fabric and print obviously they're very good at replicating the fabric and what it looks like. "But it didn't feel the same, it almost felt like that almost plastic feel, like really cheap and didn't fit." Lilly posted about the copies on her social media and the story was picked up by local media. Soon after, Shein took down the listings, she said, but she's not sure what she could do if it happens again. "We're a small brand, we don't have a lawyer, we don't have the funds to go and fight this big corporate brand. "I don't know what I'd do, I think I would just possibly put it out there, say this is happening again and then just leave it, because there's not a lot you can really do." Checkpoint attempted to contact Shein and AliExpress for comment via email but received no reply. Calls for accountability Jacinta Fitzgerald, CEO of Fashion and Textiles New Zealand, said the rip-offs undermine trust in the industry. "There needs to be accountability, and we need to have clear guardrails in place so that New Zealand businesses are able to protect their creative IP, protect their designs, protect their brands. "[They] need to know that there's a system in place that will support that." Australian fashion brands have had similar experiences, including Things You Really Like designer Klaudia Burzynska who found her design being sold on Shein. ABC/Supplied Sophie Thoreau, an intellectual property lawyer at Buddle Finlay, said some things are automatically protected under the law. "Original artwork or distinctive prints or some sort of unique pattern, they'll all be protected under New Zealand's copyright Act," she said. "The line will be crossed where a company reproduces that specific design, without authorisation, so without the permission of the designer." But Thoreau said sometimes it's hard to tell what's lawful and what actually crosses the line. "People in the fast fashion industry are really quite savvy and they will know that making something identical, is going to constitute infringement. "So, they're quite clever and they'll come just close enough to muddy the waters." Thoreau said the cost of getting legal help is often out of reach for small businesses, so she suggests designers document when ideas are created and make sure they're aware of their rights. Sign up for RNZ's daily newsletter Help Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , is a curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Sign up to the newsletter now 28 July 2026