Kiwi dressmaker Karen Walker accused of copying an American artist’s work

Kiwi dressmaker accused of copying an American artist’s work hits again and claims she’s by no means even heard of the girl

• Karen Walker’s Runaway Girl model, launched in 2001, has come below hearth 
• The designer has been accused of copying the brand from US artist Kara Walker 
• Both designs function slightly lady in boots marching whereas holding an object 
• Karen Walker hit again on the claims on Twitter, saying she had not heard of Kara 

A Kiwi dressmaker accused of copying an American artist’s work for considered one of its iconic design has hit again to assert she had by no means heard of the girl.

Karen Walker launched Runaway Girl model in 2001, which options jewelry and clothes with a emblem of a marching lady holding a bindle over her shoulder. 

The merchandise shipped worldwide, which embrace rings, necklaces and shirts, vary from $22 to greater than $1700, contribute to Ms Walker’s multi million-dollar internet price. 

But the notable design has come below hearth after New Zealand socialite Pebbles Hooper identified the well-known emblem was ‘eerily related’ to Kara Walker’s art work created three years earlier. 

New Zealand designer Karen Walker (pictured) has come below hearth amid accusations she copied considered one of her iconic motifs from an American artist

The Runaway Girl model (pendant pictured proper) options slightly lady marching with a bindle over her shoulder. Followers accused her of copying an American artist’s 1988 picture (left)

The artist, who is understood for silhouette pictures depicting problems with race and racism, designed Untitled (lady with Bucket) in 1998, which reveals slightly lady marching in the direction of a bucket holding a banner within the air. 

‘I discover the similarities undeniably mirrored,’ Hooper, the daughter of style designers Francis Hooper and Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, wrote on Twitter. 

Other social media customers then flocked to the model’s on-line account to query the inspiration behind their design after seeing Hooper’s put up.

In response, the corporate mentioned it had not heard of Kara Walker till current years and claimed the brand was based mostly on Victorian silhouettes. 

‘Karen needed to create a lady in strolling mode as she was for our first assortment proven in London known as “Runaway”,’ an organization spokesperson wrote on Instagram.

‘Cutouts have been a key type of portraiture for the reason that 1800s and so they have been the inspiration when drawing Runaway Girl.’

American artist Kara Walker (pictured) is legendary for producing silhouettes that depict points round race and racism

The spokesperson then requested prospects to Google search ‘Victorian lady silhouettes’ for additional reference. 

The firm hit again at additional criticism, saying it was not ‘naivety’, however slightly the allegations have been ‘false’. 

Karen Walker mentioned the design was based mostly on her interpretation of herself as a baby and the similarity was ‘pure coincidence’.  

‘Runaway Girl’s hair and face was an interpretation of me as a baby and she or he was accomplished within the well-known silhouette type that has been used for lots of of years,’ she mentioned in a press release to Daily Mail Australia. 

‘We don’t want to take away from Kara Walker’s work in any respect nevertheless it’s a pure coincidence we’ve each created works within the cut-out silhouette type made standard within the 18th and nineteenth centuries – a widely-known and used type nonetheless standard as we speak.’

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kara Walker for remark.