Comments on: Thoughts on recent Decor8 post “DIY is not Duplicate It Yourself!”

By: It’s time to broach the subject of rampant rip-offs in the mainstream wedding culture. Is it ever okay to profit from someone else’s design? ›› Princess Lasertron

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:59:13 +0000

[...] with me about this issue that many designers in the wedding industry face regarding copying and duplicate-it-yourself, but we didn’t get in [...]

By: Allison

Allison — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:24:27 +0000

I’m sorry I was also going to tell you that the bouquet I’m hoping to try and make is out of quilted flowers that my grandmother had quilted before she died and I didn’t know what I could do with them until I saw your design. So you inspired me to actually make something beautiful with them that I can keep forever since I don’t know how to sew and couldn’t for the life of me bring myself to try and take a chance of messing them up.

By: Allison

Allison — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:20:12 +0000

No but I only have 200 dollars to spend on my wedding and I’m not even spending money on a dress. I’m sorry I know I should have first I am so sorry!!!

By: Calla Evans

Calla Evans — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:25:32 +0000

“I love Calla Evans’s work! She just injects personality into everybody.”

*blush* thank you for the kind words!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:38:23 +0000

I am a creator, I am also getting married in May. We have incorporated my love for creating, and his love for golf to the “n”th degree, right down to a logo. We’re getting married in one place and having a reception in each of our home towns. Your flowers were perfect! I wanted to use them everywhere! On the tables as bouquets! When I contacted you they WERE out of my price range, and the kits hadn’t come out yet so the thought really didn’t cross my mind. I hadn’t spent enough time reading crafters blogs to realise they really want to work with you. I thought I’d be inconveniencing these awe inspiring creators. I figured, no way am I anywhere near Lasertron calliber but in her hay-day my mother was very talented in her stitch work and had won many ribbons at the fair etc. I took this as an opportunity to learn something from her that I might not otherwise have learned. The process was stimulating as I had jumped into an Olympic size project head first. The appreciation I have for Princess Lasertrons speed, skill with scissors and thread, and the ability to come up with something original every time has been multiplied a gazillion times. I work on my flowers everywhere and carry around printout of Princess Lasertrons blog (now her magazine page!) to show people this fabulous artist say by all means it is worth it 100% to get Lasertron flowers because wow I’ve been working on these a LONG time. It’s not easy, and hers are great.

I am also grateful because while I may have been able to purchase a kit, this process has allowed me to work with the women in my life who have skills that are considered to be fading in my generation. My mother has been diagnosed with cancer and will not make it to my wedding. To know that she worked on some of these flowers and some of these are her buttons is like having her there. To know that my friend in Kansas wanted to be a part of the wedding but couldn’t now feels like she is because she sent me buttons is heart warming. To have flower sewing parties where I have taught some stitches to my cousins who each contributed a bit is so exciting because while mine isn’t at Laserton caliber I can give her all the credit in the world for mind boggling inspiration and know that in my flowers are more love from all over on this special day.

I apologize for not thinking outside the box and pursuing other options harder, but I thank you for these wonderful experiences, and inspiration.

By: Princess Lasertron

Princess Lasertron — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:30:10 +0000

I am just asking out of curiosity for my own information, did you ever ask me how much the bouquets cost?

By: FullertonRegan

FullertonRegan — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:02:57 +0000

I love this discussion. I think there is such a fine line between being inspired and being a rip off, and as one who refills her well daily with inspiration from other sources, I sometimes can’t help but feel like one big, shady copycat. I can’t tell if my work is truly mine, or if it’s just a knock off.

Many of the garments I make are from patterns, so obviously that’s using someone else’s pattern to make myself pants, skirts, etc., but I don’t sell that stuff and look at that as one bucket of creativity. It’s more like an “activity” if you will — I get to go into autopilot.

My other bucket, the part of me starting to venture out into my own skills and my own ideas…. that one’s harder to classify. If I see a dress at JCrew or Banana Republic, I KNOW I can’t afford it, but I also know I can make it myself. Now, I just look at the basic silhouette and go from there, but aren’t I just ripping off their idea? It’s by no means a stitch for stitch copy, but I’m still in NO WAY responsible for the idea… it makes me feel like such a copycat, but am I in the wrong?

I guess I’m not technically venturing into “my own ideas”, but instead am being heavily influenced by what I see and cannot afford. And I’ve asked them, they won’t sell to me for less.

Not to make light of this. I really do agree it’s something we need to honor. But at what point is it inspiration and not duplication? If my heart tells me that I was inspired by something, but a real creator of the idea thinks I just ripped her off, who’s right? I would really hate to do that to another designer…

By: Allison

Allison — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:44:26 +0000

I understand what you mean about someone copying your idea. I think that you have an incredible talent and all of your projects are so beautiful I just love them all. I am planning on getting married May of next year and I found you while I was researching bouquets. I fell in love with your bouquets and the brooch bouquets and especially because my wedding is going to be vintage and my grandmother was a very crafty person she has piles of craft supplies and hundreds of brooches. I will be honest and tell you that I really can’t afford one of your bouquets or your kits. But your flowers did inspire me to try something kind of similar to your bouquets but I would not even try to duplicate your Idea. I just wanted to comment on here and see what you had to say and pray that in no way did I offend you. Basically I guess I’m asking for permission to try something similar to this.

Thank you

By: amy

amy — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:06:06 +0000

i couldn’t help but think of designer knockoffs as i read this post. i think that your business will continue to be successful because there are always people who want the real chanel, not a fake. if i get married one day [fingers crossed. haha.] and decide i want a felt arrangement, i’m coming to you because i want the real thing. still, i know it has to be frustrating and just generally emotionally hard to see people blatantly copy your work. i’ll be rooting for you to make it on martha first. :]

By: Merry WA

Merry WA — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:09:08 +0000

I hope that such informative blogs will help educated us mere mortals. While I don’t doubt that many people will copy designers, hopefully if other designers/retailers continue to refuse & explain why, this may help reduce this problem. It is such a shame that copyright is so difficult to enforce and understand.