Bell The Copycat

To counter the growing instances of plagiarism on social media, chefs and designers in the luxury industry are using the very medium to track the offenders

- Anubhuti Matta

Unlikely hashtags such as #gandi and #copy have taken the luxury world by storm lately, courtesy an anonymous Instagram handle.

In March this year, a social media account called DietSabya (itself inspired by the global Diet Prada), took it upon itself to publicly call out plagiarism in Indian fashion. Among its 54,000 followers—garnered over four months—are Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Rhea Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra.

In April, in a first for any Indian fashion house, Sabyasachi Couture won the National Intellectual Property Award as the ‘Top Indian Company for Designs and Commercialisation’, given by the Indian Intellectual Property Office - the Government of India.

DietSabya and Sabyasachi couture have more than just a name in common—they are actively working to call out copycats in the industry.

“The copy market in India is like a full-fledged organised mafia,” couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee tells BlackBook. “We know of so many people who sell fake copies of my designs, complete with the brand logo. It’s sad that most of their customers think that they are buying an original Sabyasachi.”

To tackle this problem in their own way, DietSabya has been calling out celebrities and fashion bloggers seen sporting copies; designers and jewelers who blatantly roll out inspired editions; even magazine covers that come off looking similar to global magazine shots. With just over 100 posts so far, the account has amassed a fan following of designers, celebrities, fashion students and regular citizens.