Dunnes Stores top ‘a direct copy’ of Karen Millen design

AN IRISH fashion designer told a court yesterday that a Dunnes Stores top was “a direct copy” of a Karen Millen sweater, in a landmark legal case over the protection of design rights.

Helen McAlinden said in evidence, that she had examined both the Karen Millen “cami vest with a full shrug”, and a Savida sweater sold by Dunnes Stores.

“I look at the Dunnes Stores garment as a direct copy. There is a slight difference in the shade of the black [but] I think any consumer would see these garments as the same,” she added.