Fast fashion face off: Shein hit with lawsuit from competitor Oh Polly

Shein is, once again, facing legal troubles. This time, the Chinese fast fashion giant has been confronted with a lawsuit from a direct competitor, UK-based brand Oh Polly.

The complaint, which was filed with England’s High Court, was registered on the Intellectual Property list and was issued by both Oh Polly and its sister brand Bo&Tee.

This is according to CityAm, which said that the legal action is being taken out against Shein and its entities, with the claim being labelled as “copyright and design right”.

The media outlet added that while Oh Polly appointed law firm Fieldfisher for the claim, Shein has hired Harbottle & Lewis for its defence. FashionUnited has reached out for a comment from both law firms but has yet to receive a response.

Shein has almost become a regular alleged offender in the way of copyright and trademark legal issues, having previously had to go up against either big name competitors or independent designers for claims of infringement.

This latest case comes at a time when the e-tailer is striving to file a large-scale IPO with the London Stock Exchange, in a move that has divided politicians and industry professionals across the region – many of whom cite Shein’s apparent lack of transparency and alleged supply chain missteps as core reasons to block the filing.

June 25, 08:41. FashionUnited has received a quote from managing director of Oh Polly and Bo+Tee, Michael Branney, reading: "Oh Polly and Bo&Tee have issued proceedings in the High Court in London against Shein and related parties. We are very concerned about the sale via the Shein website of dozens of garments copying our original designs, with the sale of some of those dupes promoted with unlawful copies of our own photographs. We look forward to presenting our case but have no further comment to make at this time."