Is Cocomelody a knock off?

I wouldn’t necessarily say knock off. This is very common in the fashion industry. A reputable fashion house can produce an item and a few months later a lesser known or notoriously less expensive brand (ie. fashion nova) produce a similar item for a fraction of the price. On the other hand, a lesser known brand can produce an item and then a designer that’s in high demand will produce something similar for the next season because they were “inspired”, like how Gucci now has croc styled shoes.

I love cocomelody! I got my wedding dress there for less than $500 and the quality was amazing, customer service was amazing and it fits like a glove! Highly recommend!

View Quoted Comment While it does happen in this way, I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around it here. While it’s not an exact copy, it’s uncanny that it’s so close to the designer dress, one was released in 2017 while the other in 2019 and there is a significant price difference.

Hi Marisa, did my question in the other thread about asking if your dress being HP bring up this question? I didn’t mean to make you worry. I just figured both Cocomelody and HP had the same fabric supplier! I didn’t mean to make you think you were buying a knock off. I’m so sorry. Your dress will be gorgeous 🙂

View Quoted Comment That’s great and all, but my question is are they “borrowing” from other designers designs?

View Quoted Comment Hey Kimberly,
It just brought it to my attention that they may be appropriating from other designs and that’s fine. I just wish I had known this going into selecting and purchasing a dress from them. At this point I am invested where I’ve paid and my dress is already in production.

View Quoted Comment I think it’s as Rebelle Fleur says though, sometimes a designer will create something and time will pass and another use it their own way. I’ve seen some examples of this at David’s Bridal too so I think she’s right that it is not unusual. I just wish I had known at Cocomelody before I purchased my dress. I think I jumped the gun and didn’t do enough research on options.

View Quoted Comment I agree that they make good quality dresses, their prices are good and they have amazing customer service from my experience.


But my question is still looming and a bit unanswered. From what I’ve googled a counterfeit item is one that is replicated and sold under the designer name illegally, which this is not. However, a knockoff is an imitation sold at a lower price, “ A knockoff may resemble another product, but does not contain any identical logos or federally registered brand names.“
So it seems from these definitions that it is a knockoff. This doesn’t undermine the integrity of the quality, or customer service. I just wish I had known.

I don’t consider this a knockoff. It’s the same as buying a shirt from Forever 21 which looks like it resembles a high end designer item.

Yeah I mean that is a Hayley Paige original design, so I would say in this specific instance it could be considered a “knockoff” — but cocomelody also does custom designs where you can create your own dream dress by mixing and matching different designs. I guess it just depends what you want and if it doesn’t matter that it is a knock off if the quality is still good. I would mainly be worried about the quality because high end designer gowns have a quality that can’t be matched

View Quoted Comment The definition I quoted, “ A knockoff may resemble another product, but does not contain any identical logos or federally registered brand names.”
You don’t consider at item resembling a designer brand item to be a knockoff?

View Quoted Comment Well put! That’s exactly where I’m at with this. I’m still excited to get my dress. It is being customized to a slightly different design, and I love that.
But objectively this does meet the criteria from the definition of what a knockoff is.

David's Bridal does similar things even in house. They have their "designer" lines, but then there's also their personal collection. At least one of those was very similar to a designer dress from their own store:




I think the two dresses you showed are different - the colors are different, the lace on the skirt is a bit different - but you also have to admit that the general silhouette that Hayley made is used a billion times over because that general idea is the in style for the moment. The geometric lace and tight fit are something a lot of women are looking for. That being said, they're really similar. I think your dress will be plenty unique, but I can see why you would be uneasy! I think they have actual salons in California, so they're definitely legit and make some pretty dresses. Bottom of the line, breathe!

View Quoted Comment Thanks! I do feel confident in them and I’m hopeful the dress will turn out beautifully 😊

I wouldn’t say knock off either because they do look the same but they’re not exact and tons of wedding gowns look the same or have same styles but are from different companies

The one on the right looks way better then the one on the left.

Basically, there is a difference between a designer and a manufacturer. Stores such as Zara, H&M, Forever 21 are not designers, they reproduce designs. Stella McCartney, Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren are designers. Designers maybe inspired by other designers, but will always have their own unique signature. You know the designer's pieces without being told. Most clothing even when they say 'custom' is derivative of a designer's original work. Which is also why the price tag is more often than not very different.