Balenciaga's Market Bags Approved

The fashion industry is quicker than most to raise copyright-infringement claims, so it came as no surprise following Demna Gvasalia's debut collection for Balenciaga that there were calls of foul from the Thai fashion community that his oversized striped bags were copies of their traditional market bag.

The Department of Intellectual Property Thailand, however, quashed the claims immediately, reports The Fashion Law, stating: "It's unlikely anybody can sue Balenciaga because the materials and shapes are different." The department also pointed out that since the Balenciaga bags had a different design, albeit similar, they could not be deemed as copies.

"The rainbow bag has been used in Thailand for a long time. It's not illegal to carry it to Europe as it's not a copycat. If one intends to copy, the material, pattern, shape and colour must be the same. As well, there's usually a fake trademark which leads others to think it's a brand-name item."

Gvasalia is no stranger to taking a familiar logo, emblem or aesthetic and reworking it into a luxury item. For Vetements - the brand he founded with his brother and for which he still designs - he put T-shirts bearing the DHL logo on the catwalk last season. Other brands, including Céline and thereafter countless online and high-street stores, produced their own take on the market bag for autumn/winter 2013, which also did not result in any legal claims.