An Australian business owner who built her own award-winning beachwear label from scratch is "heartbroken" after Shein started producing nearly identical swimwear to hers.
Emily Gradon started building her beachwear label, Tribe Tropical, after spending $120 on her website and logo.
She was juggling two toddlers and had a third on the way, but still managed to put her heart and soul into the label.
Her fanbase has grown to more than 30,000 followers on Instagram for her award-winning sun-safe swimsuits - featuring one-of-a-kind designs, hand-drawn by commissioned artists.
But everything changed after she discovered Chinese fashion giant Shein selling four swimsuits for AU$11.95 each that look almost identical to her children's range costing AU$64.95.
"I was so upset - absolutely gutted to be honest," Gradon tells 7Life.
"I was really saddened to come across what appears to be four of my original designs... The suits were sold for less than what I can even buy for myself, which was hurtful. To see this was very heartbreaking... It felt like a real kick in the teeth."
The discovery came by chance after Gradon did a "random image search" on Google.
"I had come across copycat designs sold on other retailers a while back so occasionally I check for these things," she explained.
Gradon said small businesses like hers aren't able to compete with major fashion companies who are able to buy in bulk.
"They're a multinational fast-fashion company who buys in huge quantities so have that buying power, whereas being a small boutique business who doesn't buy in bulk, or treat anything I sell in a fast-fashion sense, I don't have the same buying power."
The only differences in the designs were "minor colour differences" and slightly different designs, Gradon tells 7Life.
"Instead of having beautiful hand-drawn Australian birds, they had included other birds that aren't found in Australia," she said.
"My brand is inspired by tropical Australia so that's what makes my patterns unique.
Shein told 7Life in a statement they take all claims of infringement seriously.
"It is not our intent to infringe anyone's valid intellectual property and it is not our business model to do so," a Shein spokesperson said
"Shein suppliers are required to comply with company policy and certify their products do not infringe third-party IP. We continue to invest in and improve our product review process."
