Addressing Rumors About Nyahallo
Addressing Rumors About Nyahallo
This statement is provided for clarity because accusations about my work have been discussed publicly for years and continue to be repeated. I want people to have context directly from me.
Beginning in 2023, another brand publicly accused me of copying its work. Others repeated those accusations over the following years, and versions still circulate today. It troubles me how readily a serious claim can be passed along as fact without examining a specific design, its full timeline, or my side of the situation.
What troubles me is how much some versions have changed as they have been repeated. I have seen speculation presented as fact, claims about designs that are not clearly identified, and assumptions about my work made without examining its development. A serious accusation deserves more care than a game of telephone.
If someone genuinely believes I copied a particular design, I welcome them to identify both pieces and the basis for the comparison. I keep dated sketches, posts, and development records, and I am willing to examine a specific claim against those records. I cannot meaningfully answer an accusation that never identifies what I supposedly copied, and repeating a rumour does not make it evidence.
Nyahallo is an independent, artist-run brand. My designs grow from my own ideas, sketches, and experiences, with some developed alongside my co-designer and collaborators. Originality matters deeply to us. I reject the claim that I copied another brand.
People have raised questions about my designs, both privately and publicly, over the past few years. I welcome specific questions asked in good faith.
1. Why can designs with similar themes have things in common?
Artists exploring the same subject may use some of the same recognizable features. For example, a strawberry swimsuit might use red fruit, green leaves, and pale seeds. Those elements alone do not make two garments the same design. A meaningful comparison should also consider the garment’s shape, construction, placement of details, and development timeline.
2. Why do different brands explore similar themes around the same time?
My audience asks me to explore themes they love, and I often respond to those requests. Other artists may receive similar requests or simply be drawn to the same subjects. A theme becoming popular does not make it the property of whichever artist posted a design first.
I mention the timeline because it has sometimes been used selectively. When I posted a design using a theme after the other brand, some people treated that order as evidence that I copied them. But there have also been times when I posted work exploring a theme first, and the other brand explored that theme later. Those instances are rarely acknowledged. I do not consider either order, by itself, proof that one designer copied the other.
I welcome comparisons of specific pieces, but they should examine the designs and their full development timelines, not simply which brand posted a strawberry, a moth, or another nature-inspired theme first.
3. Have these comparisons been applied equally?
I do not believe they always have. After I was publicly accused, people closely examined my work for similarities, while the other brand’s work was not always examined with the same care or in the same neutral way. Across hundreds of nature-inspired designs between multiple parties, it is possible to find shared themes, colors, and details in either direction. I have not treated those overlaps as proof that the other brand copied me, and I ask for that same standard to be applied to my work.
Being the person accused has sometimes left me expected to disprove a claim before anyone has identified which designs I am supposed to compare. If someone believes a specific piece was copied, they should name both designs so their details and development timelines can be examined. A general accusation gives me nothing specific to answer.
No one owns nature, animals, storytelling, or an entire whimsical aesthetic. Sharing a theme is not, by itself, evidence that a design was copied. I apply that principle to all brands.
4. Do preorder delays or customer service complaints mean that designs were copied?
No. I have seen people group these concerns together as though they establish that my brand is dishonest, including about the originality of our designs. I understand how an unresolved order can damage someone’s trust. But a fulfillment problem and a claim about who created a design are different questions. Each should be assessed on its own facts.
Some of our preorders have taken much longer than we originally expected. A few projects are more than two years old because their development and production proved more difficult than we anticipated. Customers are right to want clear updates and resolutions. Our team has been working long hours to complete outstanding orders and improve how we communicate progress.
We have also encountered email problems. In some cases, our messages could not be delivered because a customer’s inbox was full or the address used for the order was no longer active. That does not explain every missed response. We are responsible for investigating support issues and making it easier for customers to reach us.
Many customers have had positive experiences with our service and with the prompt shipment of in-stock items. Those experiences may be less likely to become public discussion than an unresolved problem, but the complaints still matter and deserve a response. I ask people to hold us accountable for fulfillment and service where we fall short, while judging claims about originality by the designs and their documented histories.
I respect other artists’ original work, and I expect my own to be judged by the same standard. I stand behind my work and am willing to address specific, good-faith questions about it.
If you'd like to learn more about Nyahallo, you can browse our collections, read about our design process, or check out our latest releases.
