Did Kylie Jenner Rip off an Australian Designer’s Collection?
“We launched a collection so similar to the collection [Kylie] launched, but we launched ours, like, 3 or 4 years ago, and it’s been our signature range ever since.”
Published March 4 2024, 3:21 p.m. ET
Is Kylie Jenner a copycat? An Australian designer was “shocked” to see the similarities between her collection and one Kylie launched through her Khy fashion brand on Feb. 28, 2024.
On Feb. 28, Khy released Drop 004, a collection of day-to-night garments, including dresses and sets in Mesh Stretch, Sueded Stretch, and Sleek Stretch fabrics, with sizes ranging from XXS to 4X and prices ranging from $52 to $98.
A day layer, Jessica Johansen-Bell sounded the alarm… and it’s not even the first time the reality star has been accused of copying other people’s ideas.
Designer Jessica Johansen-Bell suspects Kylie of ripping off her “entire collection.”
In a TikTok video on Feb. 29, Jess said, “Guys, am I tripping? Or did Kylie Jenner just rip off my entire collection?”
Jess, who’s one of the stars of the Netflix reality series Byron Baes, told viewers that she’s the owner of Johansen — which describes itself on Instagram as “a luxurious, Australian-designed label based on individuality, style, [and] elegance” — and started the brand a decade ago.
“I have been dwelling on this for days now,” she said of the alleged rip-off. “We launched a collection so similar to the collection [Kylie] launched, but we launched ours, like, 3 or 4 years ago, and it’s been our signature range ever since.”
Sure enough, Johansen’s website shows multiple dresses with twisted, off-the-shoulder straps like the ones in Kay’s Drop 004.
Jess has even dressed Kylie before.
Jess says in the TikTok video that she’s gotten “so many DMs” from customers and loved ones congratulating her under the misconception that Kylie was wearing a Johansen dress or collaborating with the brand.
“And we’ve dressed Kylie before, so I just thought it was old stuff,” Jess added. The designer told the Daily Mail in 2018 that Johansen sales had “blown up” after Kylie posted photos of herself wearing the brand earlier that year.
Finally, Jess looked at Kylie’s new products and “was so shocked,” so she reached out to the Khy team.
“They got back to me pretty quickly, and they said, ‘We developed these designs through our team’s hard work and innovation,’” Jess shared. “Which, I was just … like, if you look up the meaning of innovation, it means ‘new idea.’”
Some fans think Jess has a case, but others disagree.
Many TikTok users had Jess’s back, including Catfish co-host Kamie Crawford. “Wait, because when she posted it, I immediately thought it was Johansen,” Kamie wrote in the comments of Jess’s video.
Another commenter wrote, “Hire a lawyer ASAP.”
And a third wrote, “Yeah, you’re right, and she’s known for this. I’m sorry. I know this is devastating.”
Other TikTok commenters, meanwhile, weren’t so convinced.
“They are similar… not the same,” one person wrote.
Another commented, “Yours and hers are both extremely generic designs that I’ve seen everywhere for years. There are even Amazon and Shein dupes that have been around [for] ages.”
And one TikTok user laid on the sarcasm, writing, “Hmm, didn’t realize you invented twisting a sleeve.”
