He is enraged after seeing what he claims to be his idea being spearheaded by someone else. Fashion designer to the stars, Thando Piliso, has accused Ebubeleni Fashion Week of stealing his fashion show idea and incorporating it as part of their music festival and branding it as their own.

STOLEN?

Ebubeleni is an annual premium lifestyle picnic that debuted 13 years ago. Thando, launched his event Eastern Cape Arts and Fashion Week, last year and this year he planned to collaborate with Fashion Without Boarders for an event on 29 June in Gqeberha. But he woke up one morning and realised his idea had been "stolen and reworked by Ebubeleni organisers, right down to the naming and branding," he told ZiMoja. "They can sue me if they want, that idea is mine. They stole everything!" he said. "Ebubeleni launched a fashion show called Ebubeleni Fashion Week in 2018 but after seeing my concept, they renamed their show to Eastern Cape Fashion Week. Why?" he asked..

SIMILAR CONCEPTS

Thando said this has created confusion in the fashion industry, where he is highly respected. "People think the Ebubeleni fashion show is mine. They don't know what it is, and sponsors are getting confused. It's a mess, all because of greed. I mean, what is the meaning of this? They even incorporated stalls in their idea and are running it the same way as mine. This is undermining a brand that a late friend and I had been working on for years," Thando said adding that the branding is similar and they have a call out to young designers to showcase. "I tried to reach out to them to find out, but I have not received any communication. This is sabotage!" Following this, he blasted the organisation on social media hoping it would reach the right ears.

NOT STOLEN

Executive producer and co-founder of the Annual Ebubeleni Festival, Marc Mahambehlala, said the Fashions Week concept was born in 2018. "We were only doing it in Nelson Mandela Bay, as part of the festival. Due to the need from other designers in other parts of the Eastern Cape, we then changed the name, so we could accommodate them." Marc said it was an unanimous decision and not one specific came up with the name. "It only made sense as we were incorporating other parts of the province. The name is different from that of Thando Piliso. We have also trademarked the name and registered it, proving there is no clash." Marc added that he knows Thando. "He showcased last year at our fashion show and did well. We have seen his post on social media, and he had reached out to one of our board members, and they were still in talks to try to resolve the matter."

Thando has threatened to take legal action if he and festival founders cannot reach a consensus.