By Kwon Mee-yoo
New domestic fast-fashion brand 8Seconds is in trouble within a week after its launch by copying the design of socks produced by a smaller competitor.
The specialty retailer of private label apparel (SPA) brand is an ambitious project by Cheil Industries Executive Vice President Lee Seo-hyun, the youngest daughter of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee.
It aims to challenge the global market by providing clothing cheaper than Zara but trendier than Uniqlo. However, the sock fiasco has added the company to a growing pile of business projects run by corporate scions that are getting a bad rap.
When 8Seconds opened its first stores in Garosu-gil and Myeong-dong last week, people lined up to get in the store and see the new line.
However, expectations for 8Seconds were shattered as Coevel, a small designer brand specializing in accessories such as socks and belts, claimed that Cheil Industries' SPA copied its sock design, Tuesday.
Coevel said: "Some copycats are bringing dishonor to the Korean fashion industry. We want to let all the people know about the high-handedness of conglomerates against small designer brands."
According to Coevel, launched in April 2011, a line of socks sold at 8Seconds look suspiciously like its two-tone socks in color, material, design and detail. "Our two-tone socks have unique hidden color in the lining, making the socks different from others. 8Seconds copied such details."
It also provided photos of each company’s socks, which looked almost the same except for size and quality.
8Seconds posted an apology on its blog and Facebook page late Tuesday night. Kim Jin-Myon, head of Cheil's fashion division and subsidiary firm Gemi Plus Distribution, said the firm has investigated the issue that the socks are similar to another brand, as disputed on the Internet.
"We immediately withdrew the socks in question from our shops and will incinerate all of them," he said.
Kim also said 8Seconds plans to manufacture some 10,000 styles a year by collecting and analyzing fashion trends across the globe. "SPA brands are very style-conscious and produce many items as fast as possible. We missed the resemblance of the socks’ design during our verification process," he said.
8Seconds carries menswear, women’s wear, denim, casual wear and accessories and is aiming for 60 billion won in sales from 10 stores this year.
"We have been contacted by Coevel and discussed the issue amicably. We will focus on developing more creative, exclusive designs," the 8Seconds spokesman said.