Gentle Monster Sues Blue Elephant Over Alleged Design Plagiarism

Gentle Monster has initiated legal proceedings against fellow Korean label Blue Elephant.

On December 23, 2025, II Combined (IICOMBINED Co., Ltd.), the parent company of Gentle Monster, confirmed that it had filed both civil and criminal complaints against the newcomer brand for “misappropriating products and store interiors, and promoting itself in a way that misleads consumers into believing it is a similar brand to Gentle Monster.” The announcement was delivered during a press briefing at the company’s headquarters in Seoul.

Legal action began in December 2024, when II Combined submitted complaints to the Ministry of Intellectual Property. In March and June 2025, the company pursued provisional seizure orders through the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office to secure potential compensation. By October, the company had filed another lawsuit seeking compensation for the damages associated with the alleged acts of plagiarism.

“Blue Elephant not only imitated the design of accessory products like eyeglass pouches but also misappropriated the store interior that constitutes the space,” the company noted.

According to 3D scans conducted by an external professional agency, 13 of the 33 reviewed items showed over 99% similarity, including one model that reached 99.94% resemblance to a Gentle Monster design released in 2021.

A pouch design—allegedly registered by a Blue Elephant affiliate—was also cited for closely referencing Gentle Monster’s pouch, first introduced the same year.

Parallels were further drawn between Gentle Monster’s Shanghai flagship and Blue Elephant’s Myeongdong location, particularly its interior concept space featuring a futuristic, barren landscape of rocks and sand.

Blue Elephant has released a statement addressing the accusations and ongoing cases.

“The products II Combined refer to are not subject to protection under the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act or other relevant laws,” the company declared.

Founded in 2019, Blue Elephant is a South Korean eyewear label known for its affordable, on-trend eyewear. The brand gained online traction after content creators referred to its designs as lower-priced alternatives to Gentle Monster.

Currently, Blue Elephant operates brick-and-mortar stores across South Korea and Japan, alongside international pop-ups, including a space at Glorietta 3 in Makati City, which opened in October 2025.