It was alleged that Mr. Price ripped off one of Bathu’s shoes.
Believe it or not, but Mr. Price recently trended on Twitter, but not for the reasons you might think! They were involved in a bit of a stir about a sneaker design that some users alleged they ripped off from the local sneaker brand. Bathu.
The chaos ensued after a user, Daniel Marven, tweeted an image of a sneaker that looks a lot like a specific model produced by Bathu.
“Mr Price what Bathu Athletic shoe is this one, then you expect our black business to grow,” his caption read.
Mr Price what Bathu shoe is this one, then you expect our black business to grow. @MrPriceSport @bathu_sa pic.twitter.com/rqKdcaMP7t
— Daniel Marven (@danielmarven) September 4, 2021
This led to a lot of other tweeps jumping on the bandwagon, voicing their outrage and comparing the situation to a David and Goliath kind of fight. The users were also quick to tag both Mr. Price and Bathu, so that both companies know what is going on.
“No they didn’t!!! Haybo! This is brand infringement and he needs to take them on,” one tweep said.
Another argued that “this is what Zara does with most brands.”
Bathu is a local shoe brand started by Theo Baloyi. Its story is one that is relatable and the brand has shown steady growth over the years. In more recent times, Bathu has also become a hot local brand to do collaborations with, which naturally helps to increase the hype around the label.
Mr. Price did, however, reply. In their tweet, they said that they can confirm that these shoes are not part of their range and that the image does not resemble what a Mr. Price store should look like. Thus, they washed their hands of the matter and claimed not to be responsible for any kind of rip-off towards Bathu.
Hello there,
Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We can confirm that the shoes and marketing information displayed above is not from Mr Price or any of our stores. This image is in no way affiliated with us and our current sneaker line-up.
— Mr Price (@MRPfashion) September 5, 2021
The Mr. Price Group has been involved in copyright infringement issues in the past. For instance, they created more affordable versions of the popular SKIMS range produced by Kim Kardashian. Customers, however, noted that these versions are a lot more expensive than other items Mr. Price sells, which discourages them from buying it.
