(Tokyo) Uniqlo, the Japanese ready-to-wear champion, announced Tuesday that it had filed a complaint in Japan against Shein, the Chinese clothing giant fast fashion », which he accuses of having copied the shape of one of its flagship products, a mini round shoulder bag.
Uniqlo thus wants to obtain “the immediate cessation of sales” of Shein mini-bags resembling “closely” according to its own product, according to a press release published by the Japanese brand on its site.
The company also told AFP that it was demanding around 160 million yen (around $1.5 million) in compensation, excluding interest, and that it did not intend to launch similar procedures outside Japan for the moment.
Uniqlo, which belongs to the Japanese giant Fast Retailing, filed a complaint on December 28 with the Tokyo court against three Shein operators: Roadget Business, Fashion Choice and Shein Japan.
According to the Japanese brand, Shein’s sale of what it calls “imitation products” “significantly undermines customers’ high level of trust in the quality of the Uniqlo brand and its products.”
Contacted by AFP, Shein was not immediately available to react to Uniqlo’s accusations.
Launched in 2022, the mini round shoulder bag from Uniqlo, a unisex nylon product available in several colors, quickly became a phenomenon on the social network TikTok and has since enjoyed immense success around the world, being considered practical for a affordable price: it costs 1500 yen in Japan, or $14.
Founded in 2008 in China and now based in Singapore, Shein has conquered the global clothing market in recent years. fast fashion », with the rapid renewal of its collections at very low prices, and sells exclusively online, targeting a young and hyperconnected clientele.
Shein plans to become a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, according to several American media. The brand was valued at $66 billion last year.
Accused of forced labor, of inciting overconsumption, singled out for the environmental impact of its products and lacking in transparency regarding its production, Shein also attracts the wrath of environmental and human rights defenders.
In December, the Chinese e-commerce site Temu also attacked Shein in American federal justice, accusing it of having used “mafia-style” methods to thwart its development in the United States.