James Charles has repeatedly entangled himself with internet drama, and as much as he tries to escape, it seems that social media will never free him from his trolls.
In Charles’s latest controversy, he is accused of plagiarizing his new “Sisters” merch from the clothing brand Teddy Fresh.
What is the “Sisters” Merch?
“Sisters” refers to James Charles’s fanbase as he always starts his YouTube videos by calling his viewers “sisters.” Also, Charles founded the “Sister Squad” that included many prominent YouTubers including Emma Chamberlain.
Charles’s new merch features a color-blocked theme with a new “Sisters” logo that exhibits back to school vibes, and it will drop on Thursday, September 24 at 12PM PST.
To promote the drop of his new merch, Charles recruited some friends from the Hypehouse and Sway House to excite fans to buy his new color-blocked sweats. Some of the most popular TikTokers such as Charli D’amelio, Avani, and Noah Beck have posted numerous TikToks wearing the new merch as they prepared for a photoshoot in a classroom – marketing the hoodies as cute school clothes.
@jamescharles sisters apparel photoshoot today w my favs 🥰❤️ launching thursday the 24th!!
@lilhuddy
@larrayeeee choose ur fighter
The Drama
As people got excited for James Charles’ merch to drop, YouTubers Ethan and Hila Klein accused Charles of copying Hila’s designs from her clothing brand Teddy Fresh.
Hila’s husband took to Twitter to point out the similarities between Charles’s and Hila’s designs as they both used the same color-blocked pattern.
I know we didn't invent colorblocking but I'm having a hard time w the new james charles merch, it's the same exact design as Hila's. Combined with the fact that his audience is so huge, many people will assume he designed it and start accusing us of plagarism. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/sKdTlzIcAx
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) September 18, 2020
It's possible it's all a totally cosmic coincidence but he used pretty much the identical colors here too, he at least moved em around a little bit pic.twitter.com/fdJKm3sEiq
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) September 18, 2020
To further her husband’s agenda, Hila shared her original sketches from 2017 of her color-blocked hoodies to prove that she is the original creator of the design.
I guess I might as well share some behind the scenes. This is my first sketch of the color block hoodie from 2017 before we had a logo for TF, and in the other pic is the pink one, this is usually how I work on our color pallets. https://t.co/5t7NrRC28P pic.twitter.com/mEhHq2cF8E
— Hila Klein (@HilaKleinH3) September 18, 2020
After these allegations were made against Charles, Charles responded to Ethan’s tweets and claimed that they had a private conversation where Charles claimed he never saw the Teddy Fresh brand, and he sent the Kleins original pictures of his merch. When Charles asked what they wanted him to do, the Kleins did not respond.
When you DM’d me yesterday, I sent you the original photo that inspired my collection, explained I’ve never seen your brand, but also asked what you wanted me to do… You didn’t reply. After last year, I vowed to keep conversations private and create solutions, not drama. https://t.co/6LGYZRHiCl
— James Charles (@jamescharles) September 18, 2020
Because Charles despises drama, he asked Ethan to continue chatting privately about the unfortunate coincidence, so they can work together towards finding a solution.
@h3h3productions If you’d like to continue our conversation and find a solution, my DMs are still open! ❤️
— James Charles (@jamescharles) September 18, 2020
However, it seems Ethan wants his conflict with the makeup mogul to remain public. Because Klein believes Charles is lying, he gave permission for Charles to share their conversation publicly to validate Klein’s statements.
According to Klein, Charles told him that the similarities between the two designs was not a coincidence and he was still going to sell his “Sisters” merch no matter what. Because Klein was upset with Charles’s tone in his DMs, Klein decided to get the public involved with their dispute.
I give you permission to share our convo. You told me you were going to sell them anyway. You also admitted that the similarity wasn't a coincidence. I dm'd you because I wanted to keep this private but I found your response combative and dismissive.
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) September 18, 2020
Although Charles is not adding more fuel to the fire, Klein wants the fire to continue burning.
This morning Klein dug up an instance from last year where Charles accused someone for copying his color palette. Now that the roles are reversed Klein is suggesting that Charles is a hypocrite.
Hmmmmm https://t.co/NC3ZIZgCqA
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) September 18, 2020
For context, a company made a palette with colors very similar to his and this was his response pic.twitter.com/BJL4MfPsrQ
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) September 18, 2020
To gain more traction to this issue, Klein moved the conversation to TikTok. With the “Sisters” merch in the background, Klein wore a Teddy Fresh hoodie to allow users to clearly identify the similarities.
@ethankleinh3 james charles new merch looks very similar to our teddy fresh design 👀 #jamescharles #teddyfresh #fashion #fyp #greenscreen
And people are agreeing with Klein.
However, unlike Charles’s past conflicts, there are many who are taking his side. People are saying that Klein’s accusations are a stretch as Hila did not invent color-blocking as this style has been around since the 90s.
Um, this style has been around for awhile it’s literally a 90s aesthetic and you can find identical looks by googling 90s color block hoodies like I did and it took about 2 seconds. I’m not even a James Charles fan but the reach here is pretty embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/XzDZsCD7V5
— 🌸✨That_Bad_Bartender✨🌸 (@Awful_Bartender) September 18, 2020
No offense to Hila, but are we all seriously pretending as if the design is super original in the first place? It's literally 4 colors on a soft hoodie, I hate to say that a 5 year old could've designed it, but it looks like something straight out of a kid's coloring book.
— Triple Decker Supreme (@StudioYes1) September 18, 2020
gonna be honest, James Charles can use color block pattern cause it's just that, a pattern… pic.twitter.com/ATDXWPFRIi
— Repzilla (@zillarage) September 18, 2020
Im gettin real tired of small brands saying an influencer “stole” their designs like…baby, nothing is original anymore
To take this public after “talking” privately gives clout chaser vibes. Even if he did feel james Charles was “combative and dismissive” it should stay private pic.twitter.com/o0DgQNlFsr— ✨elizabitch✨ (@NotAgainLiz) September 18, 2020
Who’s side are you on? Do you think James Charles actually stole his designs from Teddy Fresh?
