Cara Delevingne Accused of Ripping Off a Sweatshirt Design

On Sunday, Cara Delevingne posted to Instagram a photo herself wearing a sweatshirt printed with the slogan "The Future Is Female."

It wasn't just another cool feminist look for Cara, it was a business endeavor. In the caption, she directed followers to a link in her bio where she's selling the top for $39.99.

[instagram ]https://instagram.com/p/-9ShPVjKLN/" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

But comments on the post immediately called her out for ripping off the design from L.A. graphic design studio Otherwild.

"So disappointing you would steal from small business owners like this who took the time to give all the right credit, support small businesses and buy your shirt from @otherwild," wrote @scbump.

"I swear this is the worst act of blatant theft the mainstream has ever committed," wrote @lookingk.

Cara was first photographed wearing a "The Future Is Female" sweatshirt (one made by Otherwild, according to Refinery29) in Paris in October. Soon afterward, her girlfriend Annie Clark (the signer St. Vincent) was also spotted wearing it.

In November, the New York Times featured a profile on the slogan, explaining that the first "The Future Is Female" shirt was created for a historic women's bookstore in New York City. In 1975, photographer Liza Cowan took a picture of Alix Dobkin, her girlfriend at the time, wearing it.

Earlier this year, @h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y, an account celebrating lesbian culture curated by Kelly Rakowski, posted Cowan's photo. Otherwild then began creating the shirts, donating 25 percent of the proceeds to Planned Parenthood.

[instagram ]https://instagram.com/p/v7exj4tfAz/" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);" >

On Monday, Otherwild posted about the Cara Delevingne controversy on Instagram; the post has since been deleted. The comment read, "Delevingne's choice to lift and manufacture Otherwild's design, claiming it as her own to sell with an undisclosed charitable offering, is indefensible. Her actions ironically counter the very message of the slogan 'The Future Is Female,' and it's confounding that she would do this to a small queer feminist-owned business after purchasing the product from us just a few weeks ago ... Although under pressure, Delevingne has changed the line's attribution several times in the past 24 hrs., she has not yet offered to wholesale from us nor cease and desist blatantly copying and selling our designs."

Otherwild followed up with another post on Monday morning:

I took down my post yesterday about #thefutureisfemale controversy, because the negative commentary was overwhelming me, but I wanted to share my thoughts and this image which shows #Otherwild's sweatshirt on the left, and @caradelevingne's identical version on the right. The slogan "The Future Is Female" originates from Jane Lurie's and Marizel Rios' Labyris Books (1972), and Otherwild used @lizacowan's image of Alix Dobkin in the shirt (1975) with permission, as originally seen on Kelly Rakowski's @h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y. Otherwild's redesign and reissue of the FIF tees and buttons is protected under copyright law, which mandates that any reproduction of an existing known public work must be altered at least 20% from the original. If model/actress Cara Delevingne wanted to sell my line, she would need to wholesale them from Otherwild, and because we donate 25% of our line's proceeds to Planned Parenthood, Delevingne's ethical practice would benefit not only our woman-owned small business but would also serve as a significant donation to PP. Delevingne could also choose not to wholesale from Otherwild and create her own design of the slogan on clothing to sell. But Delevingne's choice to lift and manufacture Otherwild's design, claiming it as her own to sell with an undisclosed charitable offering, is indefensible. Her actions ironically counter the very message of the slogan "The Future Is Female", and it's confounding that she would do this to a small queer feminist-owned business after purchasing the product from us just a few weeks ago. Although under pressure, Delevingne has changed the line's attribution several times in the past 24 hrs., she has not yet offered to wholesale from us nor cease and desist blatantly copying and selling our designs. A photo posted by OTHERWILD (@otherwild) on Dec 7, 2015 at 4:47am PST

Though she is now including @otherwild in her caption, Cara is still selling her sweatshirt on Represent, where she acknowledges that it's "a recreation of the original shirt worn by Alix Dobkin in 1975 in a photograph by Liza Cowan." The page also says, "Proceeds from every shirt sold support Girl Up's campaign to promote the health, safety, and education of girls in developing countries."

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