Anna Weaver, who goes by annasistrunk96 on TikTok, posted about the situation on her Instagram and TikTok account where the video received more than 350,600 views since it was posted last week.
In the video, Weaver explained that her small company Ivy Patch Cat produced a line of ceramic heart mugs last year. She said the mugs were a huge success and that she was excited about the original design.
But Weaver said her excitement ended when she saw that Anthropologie, her place of employment, was advertising their new heart mugs. In the caption of her Instagram post, Weaver said that she was “heartbroken.”
She also explained that Anthropologie had previously liked a few posts of her heart mugs that she posted on her Instagram at the beginning of last year.
On the Instagram post, Weaver also added a screenshot of a 2018 article by BBC about Anthropologie apologizing to a ceramicist for stealing her vase design which was promoted on her Instagram account.
Ceramicist Tara Burke called the retailer “scum” on her Instagram for stealing her design. She explained in the post that in 2016, the retailer asked her if she would like to collaborate on a project and she declined.
She said that during the visit, the employees photographed her pieces. In 2018, Anthropologie began selling vases that looked nearly identical to Burke’s. Many praised Burke for speaking up against the large retailer and the retailer offered her an apology and pulled the products from the store.
The majority of comments on Weaver’s viral post have also been supportive with many users tagging Anthropologie in the comments and questioning why they didn’t partner with Weaver rather than stealing her design.
“@Anthropologie how could you steal from your own employee???” one comment read. “And you better not fire her for calling y’all out or you’ll catch these hands.”
“Anthro is notorious for this,” one user commented. “I’m so sorry they did that to you. Time to stop supporting all URBN brands folks.”
“I’ve seen anthro ‘steal’ work before it’s starting to not look coincidental anymore,” another user said.
But the comments on Weaver’s viral post have not been purely supportive. Many users told Weaver that she couldn’t expect other people not to have a similar idea.
Others explained that unless she had a copyright for the mug design, any retailer could rip it off.
“Love supporting small businesses but heart mugs are not a new idea,” one user said. “You’re definitely not the first person to make them.”
But Weaver responded to the comment saying that she had never personally seen any that looked like hers but that she is “sure similar ones exist” but that there were “too many coincidences” such as the identical colors and same exact “drip” style.
Newsweek reached out to Anna Weaver and Anthropologie for comment.
