Forever 21 has, at least temporarily, dodged a bullet. According to WWD, the copying case against the fast fashion empire brought by Trovata has resulted in a mistrial after almost a week of jury deliberations.

Trovata claimed that Forever 21 purposely copied its designs, citing specific details, such as a round zipper pull and evenly spaced four-hole buttons as proof. (The trial sounds like a fashion design class!)

However, the mistrial leaves open the question as to whether or not the apparent copying of a design element is an infringement of the original brand's intellectual property.


For what it's worth, this is the farthest this type of case against Forever 21 has ever gotten. Numerous designers have sued the inexpensive, trend-driven retail giant, but until now, all have settled out of court. Stay tuned...