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Hanna Bernhard Says Iris Apfel Ripped Off Her Toucan Pin Design

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Photo illustration, original image via <a href="http://hanna-bernhard.blogspot.com/2011/05/one-of-our-design-copied-by-iris-apfel.html">Hanna-Bernhard.blogspot.com</a>
Photo illustration, original image via Hanna-Bernhard.blogspot.com

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There's a serious brouhaha brewing in the comments section of our post on Rara Avis, fashion icon Iris Apfel's new jewelry collection for HSN that's set to debut on air this September. Jewelry designer Hanna Bernhard left the first comment, detailing how Apfel ripped off Bernhard's Toucan pin design for the lower-priced Rara Avis TV/Internet collection. Bernhard later blogged about it on her website. She writes:

What a shock for me when I clicked on the link: IRIS HAS COPIED ONE OF OUR PIECES!

She has purchased a toucan head pin from one of our customers several years ago in Palm Beach FL, she lives there half of the year. I don't understand how can such a thing happen, Iris is 89 so I can not help myself but to find her some excuses—should I?—but there is someone in this business chain, who has seen the tag at the back with our name on it and still copied it! This is such a shame!

Of course I have to talk to HSN people, I tried yesterday but could just get in touch with their customer service for orders. Also talked to Iris who could just wonder how my customer knew about it, telling me that she didn't buy the pin from me, and 'what we should do about it'! She was supposed to call back : I am still waiting!

Bernhard points to a slew of photos that shows Apfel wearing the Hanna Bernhard original toucan pin at public events. She also shows a side-by-side of the HSN version and the original version. What do you think? Should HSN pull the Rara Avis toucan pin?
· One of our designs copied by Iris Apfel [Hanna Bernhard]
· The Iris Apfel for HSN collection is pretty awesome [Racked]