Many people were offended by Kylie Jenner's Forbes cover, which referred to her as a "self-made" billionaire. Despite the fact that the 20-year-old has surpassed her elder sister Kim Kardashian in popularity and net worth, Kylie's rise to prominence has been marred by controversy.
Although she is credited with popularizing matte lips and camo two-pieces, many of the trends she is credited with were brazenly taken from others.
Kylie, despite being accused of intellectual theft, appears immune to criticism. She has made a lot of money off of lesser-known artists and influencers who she claims to have been "inspired" by means of her cosmetics company and other enterprises.
Do the allegations of plagiarism hold water, or is everything just a wild coincidence?
Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics Logo Looks Almost Identical To A Lesser-Known Makeup Artist’s Design
When Kylie Jenner released her lip kit, it almost broke the internet. However, the beauty entrepreneur has since faced criticism for allegedly plagiarizing the work of another make-up artist.
Yes, the famous logo that established her company as a leader in the cosmetics industry was heavily inspired by the work of makeup artist Vlada Haggerty. Kylie was astute in knowing that she could avoid a legal battle with a slight modification, and so she did exactly that.
She was so bold in her theft of others' ideas that she even copied a photo from Vlada's Instagram and shared it as her own. The action led Harper's Bazaar to mistakenly predict that Kylie would soon launch a rose gold lip kit.
Refinery29 states that after Vlada expressed her dismay about the theft of her work, Lip Kit By Kylie added the caption "inspo by @vladamua."
Kylie's staff later deleted the original post in its entirety, but media sites that had already picked up the story kept publishing Vlada's photo with articles on the reality star's next lip color.
The “self-made” entrepreneur doesn’t take many precautions with her branding and marketing, whether it’s stealing ideas from lesser-known artists or not following sanitary protocols in cosmetics labs.
Vlada sued Kylie, who then shared an image of Vlada's work to her personal Instagram page with the statement, "This really is everything! Check out the wonderful makeup art of @vladamua!"
Could Vlada bury the hatchet with a single post to Kylie's millions of followers? Neither party had any response at the time the complaint was filed, and they haven't since.
Kylie is suspected of knowing what she did because it's unlikely that someone with no ties to a particular design would go to such lengths to cover their tracks after being called out on it.
Did Kylie Jenner Plagiarize Madison Beer?
Kylie's (now ex-) best friend, Madison Beer, was livid when she saw the debut of Kylie's purple eyeshadow pallet. Madison didn't directly accuse Kylie of stealing a purple palette that was supposed to be released as a collaboration, but she did imply as much on Twitter.
"When people fully steal your idea & what they come out with was supposed to be a collab... WACK," she tweeted with a snake emoji. After that, she stopped following Kylie and posted a selfie online in which she was also using purple eyeshadow. "I SEE YOU GIRL," the caption read.
Given that Kylie doesn’t even like wearing her own makeup, Beer’s gesture was all the more cutting. Soon after, trolls began commenting on her post to point out that Madison did not create purple eyeshadow, to which she responded by hinting that the real issue was not the hue at all but the betrayal.
Kylie is rumored to have contacted Madison with the notion of working together, and after some initial hesitation, Madison eventually consented.
A supporter of Madison posted on Instagram about the controversy, saying, “The funny thing is, Kylie approached Madison for the collab. She purposefully went to go and see what Madison could come up with, pull out the idea, and steal it.”
The fact that Kylie has said nothing at all about the incident, which involved a best friend, speaks volumes.
Did Kylie Jenner Address Her Met Gala Plagiarism Scandal?
Kylie Jenner's days of plagiarizing ideas are far from over, and she's profited handsomely from the many innovations she's ripped off in recent years. Intellectual property is sometimes seen subjectively, but her repeated silence in the face of scandals was telling.
The 2019 Met Gala took place at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the stars undoubtedly surpassed expectations. Fans didn't know who to root for between Katy Perry, who went from a candelabra to a burger, to Lady Gaga, who changed four times on the carpet.
When a Canadian fashion designer claimed that Kylie's Gala dress was plagiarized, the drama escalated quickly. Kendall and Kylie were two of the night's most highly anticipated guests. Both Kylie and Kendall donned lovely feathered dresses, with Kylie opting for lavender and Kendall for orange.
Kylie's purple Versace dress was reportedly a carbon copy of a piece by Lavender May, a burlesque designer and artist from Quebec.
When Lavender saw Kylie's new look, she was shocked since it was identical to a style she had fashioned years earlier. "In 2016, I wore this dress to perform with Dita von Teese at the Montreal Olympia, and I even posted a picture of my sketch on Instagram," she said.
The two dresses share a similar shape, fabric, and feather arrangement, which is immediately apparent. Kylie’s apparel ideas don’t always perform as well as she hopes, having to even cancel a swimsuit line due to the fabric being see-through. Perhaps, “inspiration” is the only way to make a successful impact.
The brilliant lavender hair and elaborate lavender costumes that are Lavender's trademarks have made her a burlesque star in her native Quebec. The designer put a lot of time and effort into the garment because it was so emblematic of who she is.
"I found the textiles on St-Hubert. I was super lucky. It was a roll end. I did not have the budget and materials to make the dress exactly like the sketch I put on Instagram in 2016, with the "balls" of fur on the shoulders. Kylie has her balls on her shoulders," explained Lavender.
It's quite improbable that the balls on the shoulders are a random occurrence. Actually, in order to recreate the clothing to perfection, a unique sketch would be required. And Kylie discovered it waiting for her on Lavender May's Instagram.
However, Lavender concluded that, if anything, she was genuinely flattered. She considered it a compliment that her work had been duplicated and even suggested that Versace hire her for mutual benefit. The ending was positive, at least.
Kylie has been silent in the face of these allegations of plagiarism, leading her followers to believe that they are true. Fortunately, as of the year 2023, no allegations of plagiarism have been made. Yet.
