Saree label Suta faces online backlash amid plagiarism accusation by Kerala brand Rouka: 'Shamelessly copying original'

Suta, a popular saree label, is facing backlash after Kerala brand Rouka accused it of plagiarism. Some people even said they will 'never buy a Suta saree.'

Suta has been accused of plagiarism. In an Instagram video he posted on July 31, designer Sreejith Jeevan, creative head of the Kerala brand Rouka by Sreejith Jeevan, spoke in detail about how fashion designers face significant challenges with creative duplication within their industry, navigating issues ranging from direct copying to subtle inspirations.

Reactions on social media

While he did not take names in the video he posted on July 31, the designer re-shared and shared a series of Instagram Stories of people who stood up for him and his brand by tagging Suta, a popular saree label, and sharing screenshots of Suta selling an ivory saree with red floral applique, similar to the one Rouka has been selling on their website.

A person said, “Shame on Suta for shamelessly copying an original design by Rouka. This is not the first time they have taken someone else's design and marketed it. As a policy, I will never buy a Suta saree. They have zero ethics. I had one (Suta saree) and I gave it away.”

Another said about Sreejith on their Instagram Stories, which the designer re-shared: “I have known this creative soul since 1999, strongly built on values, vision, and originality. Now, I am watching big brands copy-paste his work like it is a school assignment. Shamelessly much? At least change the colour, you all. I am proud of my friend. I am disappointed in the brand, especially since I was a fan of their story and products.”

Designer Sreejith Jeevan, creative head of the Kerala brand Rouka has been sharing and re-sharing Instagram Stories about Suta imitating his designs. (Instagram/ roukabysreejithjeevan)

What did Rouka designer say?

In the video he posted, Sreejith said, “I think after what has happened yesterday, I have realised that there is a need to be more vocal about what I feel and what I think.” He went on to narrate how he started creating Onam collections rooted in Kerala culture in 2015, and observed other brands adopting his collections' styles, even when it wasn't their brand's usual aesthetic. Sreejith shared that he initially felt bad about this copying, but over time, he started to accept it, viewing 'imitation as a sort of flattery'.

While highlighting the key challenges designers face in addressing duplication, Sreejith also shared why he was reluctant to take legal action. Sreejith added that people who noticed copies of his designs, and messaged him, were often hesitant to speak out publicly, for various reasons.

'Maybe nobody's going to stand up for me'

He said, “Ultimately, we would feel bad about the fact that my God, this is something that we developed and this is a genre that belongs to us. So every time somebody would message me, I would say, \Why don't you put it out', and they would say, 'No no no we can't put it out'... so a lot of this communication would happen in my inbox and over time I also sort of subconsciously started to accept the fact that maybe nobody's going to stand up for me. Maybe nobody's going to have this tough conversation on my behalf. People would tell me, 'Why don't you file a case or why don't you go out and deal with it legally?' But let's be honest, we don't have the time for it. We don't want to put our resources into court cases or IP issues or any of that. What we want is for people to stand up and say, ‘Hello, this is what Rauka did’, and I think that's what happened yesterday – finally'.”

The designer further said that his approach shifted dramatically when faced with an exact copy of one of his sarees, a design launched around 2019 or 2020. This instance was not merely 'influenced or inspired' but a 'ditto copy' of his original drawing. This prompted him to take a public stand. This decision to speak out publicly led to a significant outpouring of community support, Sreejith said, and many people 'stood up' for him.

Suta responded to Hindustan Times Digital and said: “We truly regret the misunderstanding. Our design was inspired by an image we found somewhere, and we weren’t aware it belonged to another brand. It was never our intention to replicate or misrepresent. Once we realized the resemblance, we made changes to ensure it stood apart.”

Hindustan Times has reached out to Rouka as well for comment. The story will be updated when they respond.