Jayda Cheaves Apologizes After Being Accused Of Stealing Swimwear Designs From Smaller Brand: ‘I Didn’t Think It Would Be A Big Deal’ + Says She Will No Longer Sell The Piece
Jayda Cheaves Apologizes After Being Accused Of Stealing Swimwear Designs From Smaller Brand: ‘I Didn’t Think It Would Be A Big Deal’ + Says She Will No Longer Sell The Piece
Jayda Cheaves is in hot water after social media caught wind that she might be stealing designs from smaller fashion brands.
The 26-year-old influencer and fashion entrepreneur recently shared a series of mirror selfies on Instagram, showcasing her in an orange bikini adorned with rose-patterned ruffles, while vacationing in Miami.
Jayda Cheaves captioned the photo saying:
“Slim thick, caramel skin, 4”11 .. she a 10. #LifeLately”
She continued to feature the bikini on her Instagram Stories as she shared different versions of the two-piece and stated that it was making its way through production to be sold as a part of her Waydamin clothing brand.
Soon after the clips made waves on social media, an X user, @Chelseaaaah_, claiming to be a friend of the owner of “Eau Noir Swim”, accused Jayda of “stealing” the swimsuit design from the same piece she was paid to promote back in 2020.
@Chelseaaaah_ emphasized,
“It’s a shame that my friend worked so had for business for years just for JAYDA WAYDA TO STEAL HER WHOLE S*** after she was PAID to wear and post my friends bikini!!! WEIRDO FLEX.”
She continued to post screenshots of a 2020 post by Jayda promoting “Eau Noir Swim”, featuring a yellow swimsuit with a design similar to the orange swimsuit in Jayda’s collection.
She continued,
“You really see stuff like this happen all the time with influencers stealing designs from black owned businesses but this is hitting different. My friend @imonlycai literally makes each swimsuit BY HAND and here go Jayda stealing it and sending it to CHINA for production!!”
Hours later, the owner of “Eau Noir Swim” took to Instagram to address the debacle in a post of her own.
She elaborated,
“In June 2019, I co-founded Eau Noir Swim and introduced our handmade flower bomb bathing suit. Later, in July 2020, I reached out to Lawanda, Jayda Wayda’s manager to propose Jayda wearing our bathing suit, and and we settled on a payment of $4000 for her to showcase it in August of 2020.”
The fashion designer said Jayda delivered the content and was sent more samples and design concepts for her to possibly promote in 2021; however, Jayda expressed at the time that she was focused on launching her own brand.
She continued,
“Despite having numerous influencers and celebrities endorsing our flower bomb bathing suit, it is disheartening to address the situation where hardworking women are taken advantage of by influencers who mimic our original work.”
Shortly after, Jayda hopped on Snapchat to answer fan questions. She stated that the orange bathing suit she recently posted is a part of her brand and admitted to being inspired by the original “Eau Noir” swimsuit, as it was on the mood board for her upcoming summer line.
She explained,
“Oh it’s NO shade. The girl i promoted back in 2020 was on the mood board for this summers swim. That’s what fashion is about remaking and recreating. It’s no shade at all. I never take offense when I’m on somebody’s mood board, it’s how it go.”
A few hours later, Jayda returned to Snapchat to share a screenshot of a direct message to the owner of “Eau Noir Swim”, expressing an apology and stating that she would halt production of the inspired bikini top.
Once fans became aware of the issue, they took to social media to express their disappointment with Jayda.
One X user commented:
“Nah Jayda is wack for that and so was her “apology””
Another X user commended Jayda for apologizing, expressing:
“I don’t even rock wit Jayda like that bc of the s*** she’s done but she took accountability for that swimwear s*** AND she stopped production on it. She’s bout to lose MAD MONEY behind it but is taking the L be she said she’s not money hungry. I can fw that”
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Was Jayda right to halt production on the design? Lets us know in the comments below!