Other emails started coming in from my fellow design students, who I teach on my surface pattern e-course were congratulating me on my new fashion line? and at this point I was completely confused at what had happened?

Images were sent to me and when I saw the finished product. I was not happy, as this is not what I would have created with my signature design, especially if I was launching my own clothing collection. The top was also selling in various colour ways.

More and more sightings of the top in different colours, in different stores around the UK were seen and reported back to me, some even made it in to Marks and Spencer’s front window displays.

I contacted my solicitor who then gathered the evidence and contacted Marks and Spencer.

It took over two weeks from the initial complaint, to take the tops out of all the stores, so I am afraid a simple sorry is not good enough, because of the way I have been disrespected and treated.

A quick action to immediately remove the tops from the stores should have happened, but unfortunately it took longer.

This is about the principle and the ownership of my own design that is used on many different products that I supply to my clients and shops. This design is one of my signature designs and I am recognised for this. After much deliberation (over the past month) I finally decided to go public with this as I knew I had to make a stand. It was my moral duty as a designer, teacher and creative writer.