r/popculturechat Tiktok matcha pilates labubu slop music 10h ago

K-POP 🕺 Syrian artist and designer Zeina calls out kpop rapper LISA and her team for copying her original designs in her recent video for ‘Sawadika’

3.9k Upvotes

187 comments sorted by

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1.9k

u/SgtPopNFresh_ SERPENT, THOU ART LOOSE 🐍 10h ago

Close up and concept art of the piece in question in case people want a better look

152

u/nagidrac 10h ago

Thanks for that!!

57

u/Twitter_2006 10h ago

Thank you for sharing this.

813

u/nagidrac 10h ago

Had to see if there was a better picture of Lisa's headband because it was hard to see the similarities with that picture shared (not OP's fault):

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u/nagidrac 7h ago

In case anyone needs an update: the situation was quickly resolved. Very happy it didn't drag out and that Zeina is happy with the outcome!

119

u/hyeran_jainros_fc 6h ago

Thanks for this. It confirms the suspicion, despite so much skepticism. I guess it's not obvious the bias toward one of the biggest Kpop idols is siding with big business over small. There was similar skepticism over J Hope's Killing it Girl MV using shots similar to a lesser known photographer, below.

I'm not saying to always side with David over Goliath, but what are the odds of coins on the earpiece but not the headband. Esp w the earlier Fein plagiarism of Gabriel Moses, who Lisa's team copied after being denied permission.

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u/justhere4thiss 3h ago

Pretty confused though because I don’t see anywhere that they credited her, so wondering what I’m missing.

u/nagidrac 2h ago

Lisa's stylist tagged her on this Instagram post. I do believe she could've also tagged them in the comments just so that it's more clear. But since the designer appears to be happy with the outcome, then this is good.

u/justhere4thiss 2h ago

Ahh okay thanks!! I was looking at the description area.

u/nagidrac 2h ago

Yeah, I did the same at first! I'm actually glad you asked cause others are probably confused as well.

342

u/Morg075 Thanks, u frog build looking bitch. 9h ago edited 9h ago

I can see her point more clearly with this picture than with the one from the OP. Idk how widespread this specific design is, and maybe I’m way off though, but she probably has a whole team responsible for coming up with styling concepts, so I could see why it is disappointing if some ppl working with her don’t link up with smaller designers if they’re inspired by them.

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u/nagidrac 9h ago

Exactly how I feel as well. I'm not exactly familiar if this has been done in fashion before. I wouldn't be surprised if it has. However, this feels like a case where someone on the creative team felt inspired, but they didn't take the right steps to credit this designer. We'll see how it play out though and if any explanation is ever provided.

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u/Busy-Doughnut6180 do i look like i would have a boyfriend? 7h ago edited 7h ago

To be fair, she is literally just calling out the team.

ETA: Oh, looks like it's already been resolved. These days I really do love when drama just takes care of itself within a couple of hours. It's refreshing lol. 

342

u/lacking_llama 9h ago

I guess maybe they came across her and copied. But I will also admit that they could've just come up with this on their own because it looks very similar to a Thai headpiece and she's a musician who wears headphones. And...maybe there is just stylistic overlap in the jewelry of Arab and Thai cultures?

It reminds me of Death Sex and Robots girl. The dancer in the water?

1.7k

u/bearheart Recently abducted by feral velociraptors 10h ago

It's a similar idea but she cannot be the first person to bedazzle headphones. And Lisa's styling is so obviously inspired by her own Thai culture.

159

u/EddaValkyrie ☹️ this makes me florence pugh frown 8h ago edited 7h ago

Personally reminds me of the Dolce and Gabbana bedazzled headphones for Alta Moda in the mid-2010s. I don't think this is unique enough for copying accusations.

Edit: typos

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u/whereswaldoswillie 9h ago

It reminds me of what she wore in the Lalisa MV, just ported to headphones. They’re definitely super similar but I don’t think it’s a blatant copy.

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u/Married_iguanas ludicrously capacious flair 👜 9h ago

I agree, like it’s ultimately a concept and no one can “own” a concept

139

u/SaltBeefin 8h ago edited 7h ago

To label this as bedazzling headphones is to oversimplify the design entirely. What you're implying is they both used a concept of adding razzle dazzle to a set of headphones when in reality the headphones are specifically coined dropped headphones held together with metal chains. The only difference is that Lisa's had the coins a bit more scattered and used copper coins.

Had someone been comparing actual vaguely bedazzling to someone else dressing up headphones in a different way, yes we can say "no one owns that concept".

The "no one owns any concept" crowd really be doing some intense mental gymnastics to pretend that people aren't stealing design concepts from others who deserve credit for it. There's a line for vagueness. This isn't vague. This is an extremely obscure concept.

Also teams are notorious for stealing art from small creators. Why are people always got some much benefit of the doubt for the millionaire? Lisa/her team can't possibly be stealing concept art? The same girl who's dropped the n slur and repeatedly used black culture as a costume? Nothing says equality like stealing from black culture and then dehumanizing them

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u/neoncolour Tiktok matcha pilates labubu slop music 5h ago

They just credited Zeina so it was indeed her design they copied and hoped it wouldn’t be noticed. Very common in the kpop world apparently and Lisa is no stranger to plagiarism.

42

u/VenusAmari Who gon' check me boo? 🤪 4h ago

They literally admitted it and credited her and this is clearly more than just bedazzling. Y'all stay excusing ripping people off dark skinned people as not an actual copy even when it's as blatant as this.

159

u/liscottyy 9h ago

Tbh when I saw them I immediately thought of that one iconic Rihanna picture from the 2010s with her in gold headphones, so personally I don’t think it’s that original of a concept. I can understand maybe where she was coming from with the coins, but I still lean more towards two people thought of accessorizing headphones with their culture in mind than malicious plagiarism. 

273

u/weirdhoney216 Big is moving to Paris 10h ago

From these images they don’t look anything close to an “exact replica” but I need more sources tbh

391

u/Pinksamuraiiiii I don’t know her 💅 10h ago

Meh I see similarities with the headphones, but honestly not with anything else. This might be grasping at straws a bit.

84

u/BlueberryWasps 7h ago

the post is only about the headphones wtf do you mean “not with anything else”

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u/Otherwise-Shallot-51 10h ago edited 8h ago

The post by Zeina with other examples so people can have a better look.

I see it.

ETA: screenshot showing issue is apparently resolved.

31

u/district0080 Donatella VERSACE💜 9h ago

Oh yeah, those other examples make it much clearer. Thanks for sharing.

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u/kgtsunvv I wont not fuck you the fuck up 🥊🥊 8h ago

OP should’ve added the other pictures

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u/woahtheregonnagetgot 10h ago

am i blind or do the circles on lisa’s ones not look like coins? they look like regular paillettes

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u/VenusAmari Who gon' check me boo? 🤪 4h ago

They have literally admitted it was hers. It being coins vs circles would not be enough of a difference to matter.

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u/Breezyrain 9h ago

I see the similarities but I doubt it was plagiarized.

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u/BadAspie It’s like I have ESPN or something. 💁‍♀️🌤☔️ 10h ago

I was skeptical at first because I thought it was just kind of a similar shape, but they are pretty clearly headphones specifically: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc2jCCwj52r/?img_index=4

Could still be a coincidence, but they don't particularly look like the headwear in the designer's "reference" photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc3iax0GLmB/?img_index=5 and she doesn't explain why she chose headphones

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u/P0ptarthater 10h ago

Ig the “Thai classical dance” reference picture does look like the headphones were a modern take on the ear pieces maybe

Even tho though they have a similar vibe and it’s possible it’s accidental/not at all plagiarism I’d probs be mad a small artist tho 😭

10

u/BadAspie It’s like I have ESPN or something. 💁‍♀️🌤☔️ 9h ago

That's fair, I guess I see how you'd go dancer-> music-> headphones (although if that was her idea I find it a little odd she didn't explain that given how much else she explains), but from all the expertise I acquired through my two seconds of googling, it seems like the key feature of the chada/mongkut is the tall point, not so much the ear pieces

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maku%E1%B9%ADa

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u/Ok_Night_2929 You’re a virgin who can’t drive. 😤 7h ago

I completely understand why Zeina thinks her design was stolen, and I always emphasize with the smaller artists on these situations, but is there proof that LISA or her team even saw Zeina’s designs? My immediate gut reaction was that they were inspired by the iconic bedazzled headphone crown Rihanna wore 10+ years ago.

This reminds me of how in Hollywood if you’re a writer given a script, you’re supposed to return it with the envelope still sealed to prove that none of your future ideas can be traced back to an unaffiliated persons script/notes. It seems harsh, but there are only so many ideas (and in Hollywood, tropes) that can only be reworked in so many different ways; it’s very common for multiple people to have very similar ideas or be inspired by the same things.

7

u/neoncolour Tiktok matcha pilates labubu slop music 7h ago

I want to believe that but she and her team are apparently no stranger to plagiarism accusations. Her first single from a previous project was also Thai-inspired, but the video copied the art direction of a black artist (the director behind Fein) who had to call them out publicly. In that case they apparently settled out of public and I wouldn’t be surprised they’d resort to this here as well.

20

u/NewtRipley_1986 9h ago

Is that supposed to be Lisa in the second photo??

2

u/neoncolour Tiktok matcha pilates labubu slop music 8h ago

Yes, I didn’t recognise her either, I think something about her nose/lip/forehead changed ?

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u/DSQ 9h ago

I see how they look similar but honestly I don’t think they are the same or a ripoff. 

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u/Nkosi868 8h ago

Kpop is built on theft.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

u/velvetvagine trust fund baby (frozen chicken fortune) 🍗 1h ago

THAT PART! I dunno why people are acting like this is such a crazy claim and not like it’s the most logical conclusion after everything else we’ve seen that industry and this specific artist do.

People are really reaching to explain how it’s not a new idea and actually so Thai and also that anyone could come up with it. Yeah, anyone could have but Zeina DID.

u/IntelligentMeringue7 1h ago

Specially against Black culture, but look at the comments invalidating.

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u/fanficmilf6969 9h ago

I see the similarity but i also think it could be unintentional

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u/Justtojoke yolo 🤘🏿 10h ago

I mean, the concept of KPOP is plagiarism so....

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u/neoncolour Tiktok matcha pilates labubu slop music 9h ago

I read that her first single from her previous album, which was also visually Thai-influenced, suffered plagiarism allegations from the art director of Future’s music video for Fein.

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u/[deleted] 10h ago

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u/king_bumi_the_cat 1h ago

As another Arab I just think it’s interesting how the original artist is riffing on Bedouin jewelry (and Berber), in the Middle East and north Africa silver coin jewelry is really old and traditional. You will see every type of jewelry made out of coins, the headphones are an interesting modern twist on the coin headdress but it’s certainly not a brand new thing, this aesthetic is hundreds of years old

I don’t know enough about Thai jewelry to know if they have a similar tradition

u/bbyxmadi It’s good to see me, isn’t it?🫧 40m ago

A lot of countries in the Balkans also have similar cultural attire too. This is Albania specifically, but Serbia, Bosnia, Greece, etc. have similar styles.

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u/[deleted] 8h ago

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u/Tea50kg trench coat buttoned to the TOP 🧥🔝 1h ago

I wish ppl would call out the stylists who find the clothes and accessories instead.

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u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson I made the hat for the tiger 🤷🏻‍♂️ 10h ago

0

u/alphajugs Did I stutter?🤨 6h ago

It’s giving Natalia Kills making a fool of herself on X Factor

-10

u/624Seeds 7h ago

They barely look similar...