A designer from near York will appear on a consumer TV show next week after her work was ripped off and sold on auction sites.
Emma Farley, who lives near Pocklington, runs Little Silver Hedgehog, where she sells the jewellery she designs and makes, all inspired by nature.
She will feature in the latest series of Rip Off Britain on BBC One on Monday (15 January) after her hedgehog jewellery design was copied and then sold online using images of her own hands to promote it!
Emma, who formerly lived in York but moved to East Yorkshire last October, launched her nature jewellery in 2013 to help raise funds for her hospital rescuing and rehabilitating wild hedgehogs and educational work to raise awareness of how people can help wildlife in their gardens.
Her best-selling hedgehog design is made in recycled silver and sent in environmentally-friendly packaging along with a guide to helping hedgehogs.
Each pair of earrings is individually hand sculpted and more like a mini work of art.
But in last summer, she was alerted by a social media follower that the design had been copied and then was being sold on the fashion website, Shein, using her own images to promote it – including those of her own hands.
She told YorkMix: “I was completely shocked. It’s something I’d never really considered. I guess because I’m an ethical person it just never crossed my mind that somebody would even attempt to copy something.
“I might sound a little bit naive now. To be honest, I was quite concerned for the people buying the products as well, because I thought they can’t be getting my product, because I make my product – so what are they getting?
“They didn’t show pictures of the fakes on the site, just of my products.”
The design is virtually identical but uses a cheap metal alloy instead of silver and cheap gems instead of the real gems that Emma uses.
Unlike Emma’s, the earrings arrive in plastic packaging with no information about how to help wildlife. The fakes were sold for a couple of pounds in contrast to Emma’s which retail at £50 and help raise vital funds for her wildlife work.
Long battle
Emma has had a long battle, which she has tried to fit in around her day job, to try and get the items removed from the website. To make matters worse, they have since been listed on both Ali Express and Ebay at similarly low prices.
Although all sites have now removed them, she is struggling to get any compensation for the copyright theft, with the big web platforms siding with those who have produced the fakes and giving them multiple opportunities before they are struck off as sellers.
Two of the sites have refused to discuss compensation or accept blame of any form.
Emma says: “It really is an uphill David and Goliath battle with these companies being the antithesis of everything I stand for. I am about small, individual, handmade and with great concern for wildlife and the environment.
“They are mass produced using cheap unethical materials and having stolen my unique design. The sterling silver ear wires I use are more expensive than the entirety of the fake design they are selling.
“My real hedgehogs look alive, whereas theirs look dull and also somewhat menacing. I really wanted to be involved with Rip Off Britain to highlight this issue.
“I know now that I am far from being the only small maker affected by this issue, with reputations and livelihoods being damaged as a result.
“Someone always pays the price for fast fashion – whether it’s a small, independent designer or the people forced to make the fakes in terrible conditions for low pay. Please think about where you shop and shop local and with an independent maker where your pennies will make the greatest impact.”
Emma’s hedgehog hospital is currently closed following the relocation to East Yorkshire but she set up a makeshift hogspital during the recent floods.
She continues her educational work with practical tips for how people can help hedgehogs and other wildlife in their gardens on her website and social media. Information and advice about helping hedgehogs and wildlife can be found on her website.