British footwear brand Grenson has lashed out at a big fashion retailer for allegedly ripping off their designs from a collaboration with Holly Willoughby.
The former This Morning star, 44, signed a lucrative fashion deal to bring out her own range of boots with the brand, and they were specially designed for when she hosted her Netflix series Celebrity Bear Hunt from the South American jungle.
The ‘western-themed’ boots, priced at £365 which she helped create alongside British brand Grenson, were available in black leather, tan and embossed snakeskin leather.
But now the owner of Grenson has furiously attacked high street chain Next, claiming they have ripped off the designs, after selling three identikit versions, also in black, tan and snakeskin, for a cut price of £78.
Tim Little, also creative director of the firm took to Instagram where he shared side-by-side images of the Grenson boots beside the Next versions.
Alongside the snaps, he wrote: ‘In January we launched three lovely boots with the wonderful @hollywilloughby.
British footwear brand Grenson (left) has lashed out at a big fashion retailer Next (right) for allegedly ripping off their designs from a collaboration with Holly Willoughby
‘Today I saw this on the website of one of the country’s biggest retailers. It’s hard enough to run a business these days without this kind of thing, but I guess nothing will change.
‘Here’s to all of the independent businesses that design and create stuff every day. Just keep going.’
Sources close to Holly and Grenson also pointed out that the styling of the boots – with Next also teaming them with an almost identical blue tartan skirt that the television host is modelling hers with.
One told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s outrageous, Next is a huge company yet they are selling products that are suspiciously similar for much, much cheaper.
‘Where does that leave small businesses? It’s not fair at all, then they’ve even done similar styling and photoshoots.’
Earlier this year, former This Morning anchor Holly signed a deal to bring out her own range of boots with British footwear brand Grenson.
Friends said she was ‘delighted’ with the collection which she wore in all of the ten Celebrity Bear Hunt episodes, including when she was seen hanging out of the side of a helicopter in the same boots as well as walking in them through the jungle.
Holly first wore Grenson boots, their black lace ups which were priced at £255 – for her stint on I’m A Celebrity in 2018 when she stood in for Ant McPartlin.
The owner of Grenson has furiously attacked high street chain Next, claiming they have ripped off the designs, after selling three identikit versions, also in black, tan and snakeskin, for a cut price of £78
Alongside the snaps, he wrote: ‘Here’s to all of the independent businesses that design and create stuff every day. Just keep going’
The former This Morning star, 44, signed a lucrative fashion deal to bring out her own range of boots with the brand, and they were specially designed for when she hosted her Netflix series Celebrity Bear Hunt from the South American jungle
They sold out almost immediately, with Grenson shipping out 400 pairs an hour during the three-week series.
And when she signed to Celebrity Bear Hunt last year she went on to create her own range with the brand and designed the boots, priced at £365, by ‘outlining exactly what she wants herself out of boots’.
It isn’t the first time that Next has been hit with copying claims, as back in 2018 the retailer was forced to settle the fashion brand Scamp & Dude over claims it copied the smaller firm’s designs.
The animal print top at the centre of the dispute also featured the pink lightning bolt logo.
Next said it would pay the profits from any sales of a contested design to the label, which will donate the proceeds to charity.
In September, the label founder Jo Tutchener-Sharp accused Next of a ‘blatant infringement’ of an animal print top for children, and said she was extremely disappointed.
‘When a company makes £635m a year net profit, surely they have the resources to create their own designs and not take from independent businesses like Scamp & Dude,’ she wrote in an Instagram post.
‘This has to stop. Where has the integrity gone in the fashion industry?’
Next have been contacted for comment.
