Designer Silvia Ulson Accused of Plagiarism after Miami Swim Week

Arepresentative of Bfyne, the label owned by Nigerian-American designer Buki Ade, is claiming that Brazilian designer Silvia Ulson plagiarized Bfyne’s SS17 “Sahara” collection for Ulson’s recent collection shown at Miami Swim Week.

According to BFYNE media director John Adele, “during Miami Swim-week … Silvia Ulson featured Bfyne’s SS17 Sahara collection during her show. It comes to us as a surprise as to how another designer is allowed to showcase replicas, and claiming it as her original work during swim week.”

The following pictures, provided by Adele, show a side-by-side comparison between Bfyne’s SS17 Sahara (left), and the collection shown by Silvia Ulson in Miami last week.

 
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John Adele continued: “Miami Swim Week is the biggest platform for the swimwear industry in the U.S. It gives swimwear brands a chance to show off their collection, gives brand recognition and endless press opportunities. Designer Silvia Ulson received endless press with Bfyne’s collection, her press images have been published by Getty Images. During the show, the designer without having any idea where the dashiki print originated from blindly referenced the print as an Indian/Native American decent print. … Bfyne is owned by a Nigerian, and of African decent, which is part of our culture, and the Sahara collection was a special collection to us.”

Adele also wrote: “I have a video recording of me meeting with her in Miami and her admitting that she indeed didn’t design it. … She later told me that she didn’t know because someone gave all the design to her.”

FWO reached out to Ulson by email, but have not yet received a response as of press time.

Many of the images from the recent Miami Swim Week show may be found on Shutterstock.

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With love,

FWO

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