A TikToker has gone viral after accusing Converse of stealing designs she submitted for a 2019 internship application. She didn’t receive the internship position and never heard back from the shoe megacorporation.
Cecilia Monge, 22, said that Converse’s new “National Parks” shoe is “the same” as a pitch she sent to the company in 2019. She was “shook” to see it on their website.
Although Cecilia wants Converse to “recognise what they did and acknowledge it,” the brand told Buzzfeed the design was created in-house before they even received her internship application. Yeah, right. If it’s just a coincidence, why did Converse never respond to Cecilia to update her on the results of her application?
In a TikTok captioned, “These Converse x National Parks go hard,” Cecilia said:
So I was watching that TikTok and I was shook because two years ago I applied to design internship with Converse. I got really excited about it, really wanted the internship so I went above and beyond and kind of made a pitch slide deck within my portfolio that I sent them for the application. And this is what I designed.
@ceci.monge Ouch @converse #internship #design #smalldesigner #plzstopstealing #fashion #TWDSurvivalChallenge #fyp
♬ original sound – Ceci.monge
Cecilia’s original designs look eerily similar to the new shoe recently released by Converse (Cecilia’s designs – top; Converse – bottom):
Showing the second shoe design in her video, Cecilia goes on to say:
I think it’s also very interesting because the colour palette is exactly the same to the one I sent them. Down to the order of the colours and the actual hues of the colours – look at the yellows and the greens, it is the same colour. Yeah, I don’t think it’s a coincidence. And it’s kind of just unfortunate when larger companies ‘borrow’ from smaller designers.
A spokesperson for Converse made a statement to Buzzfeed, saying: “The Chuck 70 product design, as well as the Great Outdoors and National Parks concept was conceived before we received an application from the candidate.” When asked to contact the original creator or team behind the deigns to confirm, the company aptly claimed that due to their “standard legal policy, we do not share unsolicited portfolios of job applicants across the business.”
How convenient for them. Do they really expect anyone to trust a multi-billion dollar brand that’s practically one of the poster-children for capitalism? One of the only certainties in business is that corporations lie to make money – and despite its colourful designs and eco-friendly claims, Converse is no different.
For related news, click here to read about the ridiculous ‘dirty’ Chuck Taylors being sold by Converse for £70.
