A painting of Jill Paddock’s was on display at the West Elm store in Lower Mount Royal from October 2017 until June of this year but she says the business is now selling a bedspread that bears a strong resemblance to her piece.
Paddock first learned of the bedspread after a friend of hers spotted it in a West Elm email promotion earlier this month. “She saw this bedding and was like ‘That looks a lot like Jill’s’,” said Paddock. “She sent me a text saying ‘Is this yours? Is this a collaboration?’.”
According to Paddock, she has been emailing the home furnishings chain since she learned of the print and recently received a call from West Elm’s legal representation where she was told the bedding was inspired by a ‘purchased pattern’.
“I want to give them the benefit of the doubt,” said Paddock. “I don’t want to believe that they are a dishonest company.”
“I’ve worked with the people in their store and I’ve loved it.”
A West Elm spokesperson addressed Paddock’s concerns in a statement sent to CTV Calgary on Tuesday.
“We understand Ms. Paddock’s position and take her claims seriously. While we would never willingly infringe an artist’s work, we have been thoroughly reviewing the development and design of the organic abstract petals duvet. West Elm is a fervent supporter of local artists and makers from around the world since its founding. Design integrity is vital to our success, and we design 90% of our products ourselves from our Brooklyn, New York headquarters to ensure we maintain our authenticity and unique design perspective. We are continuing to research the matter and will provide updates as appropriate.”
Paddock says she is giving the retailer the benefit of the doubt and hopes the similarities were mistakenly or unintentionally created.
With files from CTV’s Brenna Rose
