Seriously, Why Do the Kardashians Keep Knocking Off Furniture?
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Kim Kardashian is heading to the courtroom—and, no, not necessarily to show off her buzzy law degree. On Wednesday, The New York Times reported Donald Judd's eponymous foundation sued the reality star-turned-lawyer for lying about owning the late artist's iconic pieces.
Kardashian previously recorded, and obviously posted, an office tour of the 40,000-square-foot spaces that houses SKKN by Kim. Throughout the since-deleted YouTube tour, she called out covetable minimalist furniture that flanked her neutral office. "These Donald Judd tables are really amazing,” she said, “and totally blend in with the seats.”
But, according to the Judd Foundation, the tables were not made by the designer. Rather, they were manufactured by Clements Design, who is also being sued by the Judd Foundation despite claiming the two works have noticeable differences.
A furniture fumble at its finest, but it's not the first time the KarJenners have created controversy in the design space. In 2021, the internet accused Kylie Jenner of decorating her office with knockoff Pierre Paulin chairs. In some corners of the internet, you'll hear unsubstantiated claims about other members of the famous family ripping off original designers and artists. (And, if you want to think outside of the design industry, many fans blamed Kardashian for allegedly damaging the late Marilyn Monroe's dress after wearing it to the Met Gala in 2022.)
Over the past few years, the KarJenners have cultivated a reputation for being purveyors of minimalist design, albeit polarizing minimalism: Kardashian has a minimalist monastery by Axel Vervoordt that daughter North West calls "ugly," while Jenner reportedly bought what fans call a storage container. (Kardashian even expanded her SKKN by Kim offerings to include decor.) So why opt for knockoffs? The internet has thoughts.
With packed schedules and countless employees, it's safe to say KarJenners didn't directly source their dupes. In Kardashian's case, it's likely the interior designer who worked on the office ordered the tables from Clements Design. (People reports Kardashian worked on this space with decorators Tommy Clements and Waldo Fernandez.) However, many people believe the famously family knew exactly what was going on.
"I suspect she knew and didn't care," one Instagram user says. "She knows enough about branding and likeness to be dogged about hers." "[They] go on Architectural Digest to talk about their art and furniture," a second says. "They are fully aware when they are buying copies."
While others think the blame belongs to Clements Design, who created Kardashian's eerily similar tables, they think the Skims founder's flub is an "embarrassing" instance of not being educated. We mean, who can forget when Kris Jenner famously referred to Le Corbusier as "Le Courvoisier" on an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians?
Though championing knockoffs in a furniture faux pas—and, in this case, a suable offense—a small minority of the internet argues that dupes happen all of the time. "The average person can't spend $12,000 on an accent chair for daily use," one person wrote. (In fact, Fast Company reported in 2021 that knockoffs are a $4 billion dent in the global luxury furniture market.)
However, with an estimated net worth of 1.7 billion, it's safe to say that Kardashian is not the average person, which makes this design drama even more confusing.
"She can afford the real thing," another writes. "Why would she copy such an iconic designer." "In my experience, it's always the client who wants to knock things off to save money," one person countered.
As America's favorite momager famously said, "This is a case for the FBI."
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