Kylie Jenner has been accused of copying designer Betsy Johnson’s ideas for her new clothing line Khy.
The reality star, 26, shocked fans on Tuesday with the announcement that she was expanding her empire with the ‘affordable’ clothing line which even saw her named ‘Innovator of the Year’ – but Johnson – not to be confused with American fashion icon Betsey Johnson – claims the concepts were copied from her label, Products.
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday to blast Jenner, Johnson wrote: ‘We emailed Kylie and all her team @products.ltd concept and language and a line sheet 6 MONTHS AGO,
‘INTERESTING CONCEPT KYLIE:… INTERESTING. Thanks for the co-sign … F**k your support.’
Johnson also took a swipe at Jenner’s privileged upbringing as she shared a screengrab of her current £50,000 ($60,000) student debt and penned: ‘While I stare @ my student debt.
‘Worked my ass off for this. Like so many other working class kids who bust their ass for expertise they weren’t born into to realise their ideas.’
Claim: Kylie Jenner has been accused of copying designer Betsy Johnson’s ideas for her new clothing line Khy
Post: The reality star, 26, shocked her fans on Tuesday with the announcement that she was expanding her fashion empire with the new ‘affordable’ clothing line – but Johnson – not to be confused with American fashion icon Betsey Johnson – claims the concepts were copied from her label, Products
Jenner partnered with independent label Namilia’s founders Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl for Khy’s first collection, with Johnson slamming both Jenner and Namilia’s alleged copying of her ideas as a ‘trash move.’
Sources familiar with Jenner’s brand told DailyMail.com that she is ‘looking forward to continuing to partner Khy with designers and brands like she did with her first collection with European brand Namilia – and bringing beautiful original designs with that brand’s aesthetic to more people.’
DailyMail.com has contacted Jenner’s representative for comment.
Jenner posed up in a $198 faux leather trench coat for a shoot to promote her brand, with Products also doing a version of an oversize trench and Namilia selling a similar faux leather ‘Underworld’ trench for $290.’
Kylie will begin selling Khy products on the brand’s website starting on November 1.
The makeup mogul announced her new fashion project via her Instagram on Tuesday, with a sizzling snap captioned, ‘meet khy.’
In the photo the reality TV star — who’s currently dating actor Timothee Chalamet — was seated on the floor, wearing a long black leather trench coat with undone zippers on the sides showing off her toned legs.
She told WSJ: ‘Creatively I have such a strong vision of what I want to look like and what I want to do and what I want to wear. There’s really no one telling me what to do.’
New business venture: Jenner posed up in a $198 faux leather trench coat for a shoot to promote her brand (left), with Products (right) also doing a version of an oversize trench
Inspired: Jenner partnered with independent label Namilia’s founders Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl for Khy’s first collection – Namilia’s faux leather ‘Underworld’ trench which sells for $290 is seen above
Post: Johnson also shared a DM from a follower questioning alleged similarities between Products and Khy
However, the initial reactions from social media users weren’t encouraging, as the Kardashians star was hit with a wave of complaints about the brand’s supposedly cheap price point.
Although some of the items were reportedly set to be sold for lower prices than similar competitors, her fans and critics balked at some of the most expensive items in the line, which will supposedly max out around $200.
Beyond complaints about the prices, some fans were upset by the the reality star’s alleged lack of inspiration when it came to her designs.
As evidence of both a lack of originality and inflated prices, some fans spied a pair of Khy gloves that Kylie wore in a Wall Street Journal piece announcing the venture, which were nearly identical to a pair of gloves sold on Amazon for nearly half what she is charging.
‘Affordable lol,’ wrote one poster on X (formerly Twitter), which summed up the mood of many users.
Another person simply added: ‘And to her, what is “affordable?” Lol.’
However, it wasn’t clear if everyone complaining about the prices had dug through to see prices.
Others saw her debuting the line in the Wall Street Journal as evidence that she was releasing something far from an ‘affordable’ clothing line.
One user mocked the ‘affordable’ line by reposting the single word with a gif of the late actor Lance Reddick from Netflix’s Resident Evil series.
Another common complaint was that Kylie was trying to imitate other celebrity fashion brands, in particular the dark minimalist style of The Row, which was founded in 2006 by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
One poser wrote that Kylie didn’t put in ‘the time and effort’ that the Olsen twins did to become ‘one of the most respected brands in fashion.’
Others speculated that Kylie was trying to beat Sofia Richie to the release of her own fashion line
Coming soon: Sources familiar with Jenner’s brand told DailyMail.com that she is ‘looking forward to continuing to partner Khy with designers and brands like she did with her first collection with European brand Namilia’
Not buying it: ‘Affordable lol,’ wrote one poster on X (formerly Twitter), which summed up the mood of many users. However, it wasn’t clear if everyone complaining about the prices had dug through to see prices
Wrong venue? Others saw her debuting the line in the Wall Street Journal as evidence that she was releasing something far from an ‘affordable’ clothing line
Ouch: One user mocked the ‘affordable’ line by reposting the single word with a gif of the late actor Lance Reddick from Netflix’s Resident Evil series
Copy cat? Another common complaint was that Kylie was trying to imitate other celebrity fashion brands, in particular the dark minimalist style of The Row, which was founded in 2006 by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Competition? Others speculated that Kylie was trying to beat Sofia Richie to the release of her own fashion line
Not a serious person: One user shared a photo of Kylie standing from behind in a tall black Khy coat while calling her ‘unserious’ and urging their followers to ‘save your money and invest in people who started from ground up to become successful’
One user shared a photo of Kylie standing from behind in a tall black Khy coat while calling her ‘unserious.’
They urged their followers to ‘save your money and invest in people who started from ground up to become successful.’
Others illustrated that alleged lack of seriousness — and questions about Khy’s ‘affordability’ — when they discovered a suspiciously similar pair of gloves to the ones Kylie wore for the Wall Street Journal.
Several users posts screenshots and links to an Amazon listing for black gloves with bulges on the fingers and knuckles that were practically identical to Kylie’s edgy look.
A slightly different striped pattern over the wrist was the only major indication that they weren’t the same exact gloves.
But several users cited the Amazon gloves as costing only $20 — a medium pair cost just under $25 dollars as of Wednesday night, while other sizes were sold out — but Kylie’s Khy gloves were listed as costing $38.
‘Not Kylie selling Amazon $20 gloves for $40 as her own brand Khy lmao,’ wrote one annoyed fan who compared the two pairs.
However, it is possible that her could have been made with better materials, or in more sustainable fashion, and she may also have chosen to pay the people making them more than the competing Amazon gloves.
But not everyone was ready to write off Khy just yet. One fan said they would be ‘buying everything’ from the line, while another person joked that they would have the website open on multiple devices to ensure they got their desired purchases when the collection went live online.
Too similar: Some users painted Kylie as an a copycat and also bashed her ‘affordable’ tag when they discovered a pair of gloves on Amazon that were nearly identical to her Khy gloves and half as expensive
Price difference: The gloves currently cost nearly $25 on Amazon, while Kylie will sell them for $38
They like it! Some fans joked that they would be ‘buying everything’ as soon as they could
She’s into leather: Another person joked that Kylie’s leather-friendly clothing would ‘look good on a dom-woman like me’
Give it time: Another person acknowledge the criticism but wondered if Khy could still take over eventually like other Kardashian–Jenner businesses
Not a fan of them all: Another user speculated that ‘Kim, Kylie and Kendall are the dedicated ones’ in the family, based on Kylie’s new venture
Over the moon: One user was excited about Kylie gracing the cover of The Wall Street Journal Magazine, calling it a ‘big deal’ and adding, ‘It’s exciting to see her expanding her fashion ventures’
Expansion? The clothing will initially only be available on the brand’s website, though she may later expand her offerings to other sites and stores, just as fellow family brands SKIMS and Good American did
Back in black: Khy released photos of Kylie in the brand’s $198 faux leather coat, which some fans mocked for its bulky design
Another person acknowledged the criticism but wondered if Khy could still take over eventually like other Kardashian–Jenner businesses.
Another user speculated that ‘Kim, Kylie and Kendall are the dedicated ones’ in the family, based on Kylie’s new business.
One user was excited about Kylie gracing the cover of The Wall Street Journal Magazine, calling it a ‘big deal’ and adding, ‘It’s exciting to see her expanding her fashion ventures.’
On Thursday, Khy’s official Instagram, which has already garnered more than 170,000 followers, shared a number of sultry pieces of Jenner modeling its collection.
Wow: On Thursday, Khy’s official Instagram, which has already garnered more than 170,000 followers, shared a number of sultry pieces of Jenner modeling its collection.
Bold: In one image, the mother-of-two flashes her toned midriff in a faux leather crop top with a sexy cutout on the side
Racy: Another snap showed the reality star rocking a thigh-skimming minidress with a silver zipper down the front
Staying warm: Another item from her line, perfect for the fall and winter months, was a puffy trench coat
Working it: Like other pieces from Khy’s first collection, Jenner modeled a faux black leather jacket with a hood
In one image, the mother-of-two flashes her toned midriff in a faux leather crop top with a sexy cutout on the side.
Another snap showed the reality star rocking a thigh-skimming minidress with a silver zipper down the front.
Other looks included a strapless jumpsuit, an oversized trench coat and hooded faux leather jacket.
Her collection, designed with an accessible price for consumers, will range from $48 to $198.
Sizes will range from XXS to 4X.
