Knockoff Alert- GAIAM ripped. our. ONLY. backpack.

Why?

Yes, the really cute backpack in printed canvas with leather trim that we designed exclusively for Anthropologie in 2007-2008 and are now debuting for Spring09 as the Bleecker backpack in nylon.

Sadness in our oasis... why? As a designer for a decade now, I've seen knockoffs. It happens and you keep on going...no big deal normally. However, this time it was GAIAM!!! A company that I once had much respect for and now I think they are just ridiculous and taking their customers (and their company philosophy) down a sad and terrible, horribly misled path.

Gaiam, as a company that literally does nothing BUT sell and cater to the yoga class, has totally and 100% broken the third rule of yoga which is Asteya...it literally means "honesty; abstinence from stealing". How sad they decided that it was ok to abstain from Asteya in the case of snagging our backpack design. down. to. the very last. detail. and seam.

Maybe if enough people buy this bag from Dick's, Joe's, Bob's, Kathy's, and Bertha's, Gaiam can afford to hire a design team with their own creative accessory ideas. Shame on you, Gaiam. I do hope your karma comes around on this one. Cashing in on the peaceful ones, eh? Shame. on. you.

The saddest part? One of my best friends from college, JBH, who carried and LOVED this bag until it was stolen recently (at the recycling center of all places) and who is also a park ranger in KY AND the most lovely, peaceful person I know is the lady who stumbled across this knockoff. How did she find this thefty gem? We are totally sold out of the backpack and so is Anthropologie. JBH loved the bag so much that she was determined to find a close second. Thanks, JBH...this one deserves a special call-out as you did indeed find what you were looking for.

Namaste rant and roll, -Toni

PS- design copyright infringement is a terrible problem that, basically, designers have no recourse for. only if it's in chinatown with your nameplate on it can you make the baddie cease and desist. our attorney will tell us to suck it up, but i'm going to start getting thelma and louise with this sh*ot. hall of shame coming up for 2009. please do not support pirated design as it really hurts us all in a strange karmic, chaos theory way.

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