Chanel responds to accusations of plagiarism

New York - It was recently reported that Chanel had plagiarized several of their knitwear designs at their Metier d'Arts show from Shetland knitwear designer Mati Ventrillon. Buyers for Chanel had visited Ventrillon's store and purchased several of her sweaters with the intention of research purposes. When several designs bearing strong resemblance to Ventrillon's were sent down the runway, the designer took to Instagram to call out Chanel for their plagiarism.

Chanel has finally responded to accusations releasing a statement saying: Further to discussions that have allowed the parties to clarify this issue, Chanel will credit Mati Ventrillon by including the words 'Mati Ventrillon design' in its communication tools to recognise her as the source of inspiration for the knitwear models in question. Chanel recognises that this situation resulted from a dysfunctionality within its teams and has presented its apologies. Chanel also recognises the heritage and know-how of Fair Isle. Chanel wishes to emphasise that the House is extremely vigilant in terms of its respect for creativity, whether its own or that of others.

Chanel releases statement regarding Mati Ventrillon's designs

Karl Lagerfeld, the art director for Chanel, has found his name tied to issues of plagiarism and copyright infringement before. In 2014, New Balance sued him for copying the style of their signature sneaker for his own namesake label.

In the fashion industry, artistic approach is often dictated by a trickle down affect of one designer doing something and everyone else doing their variations of it to make a major trend. However, the originator of the designs deserve credit where credit is due. There is a line between inspiration and imitation, one that Chanel crossed, but made amends for.