Uniqlo sues Shein over shoulder bag copycat claim

Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo is suing Chinese online rival Shein over claims it is selling copies of its shoulder bag, which has become a huge hit on social media.

A suit has been filed in Tokyo demanding Shein cease production of the bag – called the ‘Mary Poppins’ because of the number of items it can hold.

Uniqlo also wants compensatory damages paid. The cross-body bag has gone viral on the TikTok platform, with users showing how much it will hold. It has been compared with the magical carpet holdall carried by Mary Poppins in the 1964 film from which she pulled a hat stand and lampshade.

The nylon round mini shoulder bag sells for £14.90 in the UK and has reportedly become the brand's best-selling ever, with shelves cleared seven times last year.

Uniqlo said it had filed the complaint “because it has determined that the form of the imitation products sold by Shein closely resembles that of its own product, and that the sale of the imitation products by Shein significantly undermines the high level of customer confidence in the quality of the Uniqlo brand and its products”.

Shein, founded in 2008, has attracted multiple copyright complaints. Swedish brand H&M filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong last year.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com