French luxury brand Christian Dior has reached an out-of-court settlement with Indian design studio People Tree, which had accused it of plagiarising one of its block prints in January. Graphic designer Orijit Sen, co-founder of People Tree, announced the settlement in a Facebook post on Monday, but did not give more details.
As part of the settlement, People Tree has signed a non-disclosure agreement barring it from revealing details. However, Sen said People Tree would now be able to set up a “properly-equipped studio and workshops for collaborative crafts, art and design projects”. This will help the company sponsor and host artisans at its Goa studio, he said.
There has been no statement from Christian Dior so far.
In January, People Tree alleged that a yoga print featured on a red cotton dress designed by Christian Dior is similar to one it had created years ago. The design was worn by Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor on the cover of the January issue of Elle India.
“I’d like to set an example here, so these mega brands with mega budgets think twice before plagiarising the work of small independent creators with impunity,” Sen had posted in January.
Orijit Sen and his wife Gurpreet Sidhu had founded People Tree in 1990. The company sells handcrafted cotton clothing as well as jewellery and accessories made using natural and biodegradable material.
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