Westside 'takes jewellery off website' after a brand accuses it of plagiarism, 'carelessly stealing work': See posts

The Rover's full statement accusing Westside of stealing their ‘entire’ collection was shared in an Instagram post on April 25. Here are all the details.

Jewellery designer Shruti Kumar's 'made in India' brand, The Rover said in an Instagram post on April 25 that retail brand Westside had 'brazenly plagiarised' their work. The accusations centre on the The Rover's 'Vishwa' collection, which the brand shared was copied by Westside, and sold for a much cheaper price.

Dia Mirza sports The Rover's earrings and chokers in a photoshoot. (Instagram/ The Rover)

The Rover updated their Instagram followers on April 26 that Westside had ‘taken the jewellery off their website’, calling it a ‘fairly quick fix’, and added they were curious to see ‘what happens' to the pieces selling at the the retail outlets.

What is the The Rover claiming?

Sharing pictures and videos of their work and the ones they said were 'carelessly stolen' by Westside, The Rover included in the April 25 post pictures of actor Dia Mirza sporing a pair of festive earrings and dainty necklace from their 'Vishwa' collection.

Take a look:

It features ivory enamel and faux pearls. The earrings come at a ₹4.4K price tag, while the choker sells for ₹3.4K on The Rover's website. The brand highlighted how Westside was selling similar earrings for just ₹399, and necklace for ₹299.

Check out their post:

The Rover's statement slamming Westside

In their statement shared via Instagram, tagging Westside Stores' official handle, The Rover said, “It has come to our attention that Westside Stores has brazenly plagiarized the entire 'Vishwa' collection created by The Rover.”

The brand further explained why Westside's seemingly blatant rip-off of their work was of serious concern, saying, “As independent designers who run completely bootstrapped businesses, we invest months in concept development, sampling, and execution. We take great pride in creating beautiful pieces and for a retail giant to so carelessly steal our work, assuming no one would notice, is unacceptable.”

Sharing how they would like Westside to address the issue, the brand concluded their statement with: “We demand the immediate removal of these designs from Westside stores and their website.”

Reactions on social media

Commenting on The Rover's post, an Instagram user said, “I went to their store recently, and although I love Westside, I couldn’t help but notice the 'Nicobar'isation of it! Same fit, colour schemes and the tiny heart logo too. Too sad. I hope your efforts and voice don’t go unnoticed.” Another commented, “Yours is not the only brand they’ve copied. Many of their prints are ‘inspired’ by Cord, Kharakapas, etc. Quite sad.”

Actor Dia Mirza took to Instagram Stories to reshare the post, writing, “Westside this is unacceptable. Please ensure The Rover is given due credit and compensation. Remove all her designs from your stores and online presence.”

What was Westside's response?

On April 26, The Rover shared an update, writing on Instagram: “Westside has taken the jewelry off their website (Which is a fairly quick fix) Let's see what happens about the retail outlets. I am mind blown by the support garnered yesterday. Thank you.”

The statement further read, “I am also very surprised that this seems to be a very common occurance. Having grown up shopping at westside and waiting for that annual birthday discount, I had a very different opinion of the brand until now. Over the last few years I migrated to shopping a select few pieces from smaller home grown brands as a way to support our community, it was a natural and conscious choice. This was one of the reasons I completely missed identifying my jewelry on their shelves until now. It was brought to my attention by a fellow jewelry designer and friend and it has been very heartening to see the design community and customers alike, voice their thoughts on this matter.”