A major clash has erupted in the activewear industry as indie brand Popflex accuses established giant Gottex of stealing its patented Pirouette Skort design, igniting a high-stakes battle over intellectual property rights.
The dispute centers on Gottex’s “Tutu Skort”—a lookalike product that has appeared on prominent retail shelves at Nordstrom, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Bealls Florida. The Allegation: A Viral Skirt, A Viral Lawsuit Popflex , founded by pilates influencer and designer Cassey Ho (widely known as
Blogilates), erupted onto social media after discovering that Gottex’s Tutu Skort bore striking similarities to her own patented Pirouette Skort—a design that gained viral fame when Taylor Swift was spotted in it.
Not only did Gottex allegedly copy the silhouette, waist tie, signature “tutu” overlay, and camouflaged pockets, but even the product’s colors reportedly matched Popflex’s original hues.
“Straight up on the hang tag that is attached to the dupe of my skort, it literally says, products offered by Gottex are one of a kind of creations,” said, Founder & Head Designer of Popflex, Cassey Ho. When Ho issued a cease and desist to stop the sales, she recounts being met with fierce resistance.
Gottex via legal counsel, threatened to sue her for “unfair competition” and “tortious interference” —tactics perceived as attempts to silence a small business owner who was simply protecting her intellectual property…
