Masaba Gupta, the leading fashion designer was accused of copying the packaging design of Sephora’s ‘Lip Stories’ collection by an anonymous Instagram account called ‘Diet Sabya’, recently. Just a few days back, ‘Diet Sabya’ shared a post on their Instagram page taking a dig at Masaba Gupta’s recent collaboration with ‘Nykaa’.
Comparing Sephora’s ‘Lip Stories’ collection with Masaba’s ‘Lip Collection’ on ‘Nykaa’, they accused Masaba saying, “Is the @masabagupta x @mynykaa packaging a little too inspired by @sephora ‘Lip Stories’? Discuss!! #dietsabya #beauty #masabaforall#nykaabeauty.”
Masaba took to her Instagram handle yesterday, writing a three-page long open letter to the plagiarism accusation by ‘Diet Sabya’. Calling her brand as ‘ABSOLUTELY ORIGINAL’, she gave a kick reply saying, “I read a quote a couple of mornings back on social media that said, ‘Everyone is a judge on twitter until proven guilty.” This is probably the truest statement of our times, so here are my thoughts. The 12 prints you see on Masaba by Nykaa packaging are all original house of Masaba prints. Some dating back to 2009 that some of you may remember. From then until now, which marks 10 years of my label- we have never been called out because the work we have done is ABSOLUTELY ORIGINAL. We started working on the beauty line with NYKAA in 2017. Print is the DNA of the brand & every product we do must reflect the DNA. The same DNA that has made the brand unique”.
She further says, “Technically, to put print on packaging, paper is the best form globally. Paper packaging is universally available and is neither patented by one or someone’s innovation. Now let’s talk about whistleblowers on social media who call out fakes or inspired work. The point of their existence is to make the movement so strong that it does not allow the people ripping off designs etc., to function in the market. If this is the case and you feel so strongly about it, please call out half of Surat’s printing industry, fabric shops in Bandra & Delhi Lajpat Nagar & hundreds of people out there copying my prints for the past 8 years. Wipeout my fakes & I’ll give you this & every round. Funnily enough, the fact that the same prints on sarees/tunics etc are not being called out as ‘inspired’, but those done on a universally used cylindrical lipstick packaging are.”
She ended up saying, “Before I finish there are more prints coming in the same kind of paper packaging. And there will be more & more and it will be endless. Because it is not a copy or inspired by another product. I have immense respect for people doing their jobs- reporting the things that needs to be called out. However, I am doing my job as an entrepreneur by writing here, to protect my product & be fearless of nothing or nobody no matter who they are. Lastly, I would like to thank all women and men out there who continue to support the brand. You are the quiet cheerleaders who help us get through moments like these. And yes, there’s more. There always will be. Masaba #MasabaByNykaa.”
For more updates, stay tuned!
