2 artists accuse Chinese fast fashion company Shein of stealing their sticker designs: 'Give small artists a break'

• At least two artists say their sticker designs have been stolen by Chinese fast fashion firm Shein.
• TikTokers @berrycutestudio and @shopdannybrito join others who have accused the brand of ripping off their work.

At least two artists have accused Chinese fast fashion company Shein of stealing their sticker designs, joining others who claim the controversial online retailer has plagiarized their work.

Janie, an artist with the TikTok username @berrycutestudio, who has 166,500 followers, said in a now-viral video last month that stickers featuring a cow character she created were being sold on Shein's website.

"Give small artists a break Shein," the user wrote in the caption, alongside hashtags including #stolenart and #arttheft.

In the video, she holds up a sticker featuring a character she designed — Bella, a cow with strawberries on its head — before showing a webpage that appears to be Shein's website hawking stickers of the same character. On Janie's website, a single sticker sells for $3.50, while Shein charges $1 for 44 cow stickers.

The TikTok video has racked up 2.1 million views and generated more than 2,400 comments, with many saying that they had seen this happen with the fashion retailer before. "Omg I'm so sick of SHEIN. They keep taking designs and photos without asking," one user wrote.

This month, Janie said in an update that Shein's cow character sticker listing had been removed, though she has yet to "receive a proper response from them."

Meanwhile, graphic designer Danny Brito claimed in a TikTok video in February that one of his mirror decal designs had also been copied by Shein.

In a clip, Brito shared a yellow decal featuring the words "[screaming internally]" — a reference to the popular meme — was being sold on Shein's website.

"You might be saying to yourself, 'Danny, it's just some letters. How can they copy that?'" he said in the video, which has more than 23,500 views. "But I had the idea to turn this meme into a mirror decal four years ago, and I've been selling it consistently in my shop for four years."

Brito's sticker is listed on his Etsy shop for $8, while the similar Shein sticker was sold for $1 each, according to the clip.

"It's really unfortunate when someone like Shein, that is known for constantly ripping off artists, steals my design, steals income from me, steals my way to, you know, pay my bills," he added.

In a separate video posted a day later, he wrote: "Still nothing from Shein, no contact, no apology, no compensation." But the decal can no longer be found on Shein's site.

For years, designers and artists have criticized the Chinese company for stealing their work. Last year, Nigerian crochet clothing brand Elexiay accused Shein of copying one of its sweater designs featuring a cross-body pattern and long sleeves.

Oil painter Vanessa Bowman told the Guardian last month that one of her works appeared on a Shein sweatshirt without her permission.

Despite the controversies, Shein remains popular with young shoppers and is now valued at $100 billion, making it worth more than H&M and Zara combined.

Insider has reached out to both artists as well as Shein for comments.