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Designer Faiza Saqlain has claimed that actor Maya Ali’s fashion label, MAYA Prêt-À-Porter, has been “inspired” by her work “in all respects”. “Should I be flattered?” she asked, accusing the brand of plagiarising her older designs.

Ali has not responded publicly on her personal page nor on the MAYA Prêt-À-Porter page.

Posting side by side comparisons of three outfits from her earlier collections and those Ali’s brand released this year, Saqlain said the similarities stretched from the dress to the model and even the backdrop of the shoot. She asked the brand to “come up with something of [their] own” in the hopes of selling that instead.

Among the designs in question was a bridal outfit from Ali’s Bus Tum collection released earlier this month, which had somewhat similar embellishments to one of Saqlain’s pieces from 2021.

Another design was a velvet ombre sari from the latest Viola Luxe line that bore a striking resemblance to one of the designer’s pieces from last year, albeit in purple rather than the original teal blue. Both saris also featured a thin border in silver.

The last outfit, also from the Viola Luxe collection, was a black peshwas worn by what seemed to be the same model as Saqlain’s 2023 catalogue.

In addition to comparing her pieces with Ali’s, the designer also reshared stories in which fans and colleagues called MAYA Prêt-À-Porter out for copying her designs. One story remarked how the bridal outfit was Saqlain’s ode to her mother and it was a shame to see it copied. Another user said she had seen the designer climb her way to where she is through “pure hard work” and that it was disheartening to see her work being copied.