Christian Vierig/Getty Images
- Danielle Bernstein, the founder of WeWoreWhat, recently joined TikTok.
- It follows an Insider story on accusations of copying made against Bernstein and her fashion label.
- Many comments on TikTok have alluded to the accusations against Bernstein.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Danielle Bernstein, the controversial founder of the brand WeWoreWhat, recently joined TikTok.
On Wednesday, the WeWoreWhat brand launched its own TikTok page and Bernstein did a voice-over detailing her brand’s success from her blogging days to becoming a New York Times Best Selling author. In the TikTok video, news clippings from publications are scattered throughout that read: “Bernstein’s line made Macy’s millions in one day” and “Danielle Bernstein’s We Wore What launches activewear collection.”
The video currently has over 210,000 views and over 3,000 comments – most of which are users highlighting the allegations of copying made against her.
Bernstein's pivot to TikTok comes after an investigation from Insider's Rachel Premack into allegations made against Bernstein. Bernstein was accused of copying designs from large fashion or jewelry companies like Dolce & Gabbana and Tiffany & Co. as well as products from small businesses like the Brooklyn-based lingerie brand, The Great Eros.
Diet Prada, an Instagram account that is known for calling out fashion brands, played a major role in the investigation, servicing as an archive for the times Bernstein was called out by followers or small brands. The account accused her of copying other designers six times.
Insider's investigation - which included interviews with 26 fashion industry professionals - found "a pattern of behavior that flouts industry norms against imitation and risks running afoul of copyright law," Premack wrote.
The closest Bernstein has come to addressing the allegations made against her was in the comments section of a since-deleted TikTok. The Daily Beast reported that the comment said, "Hiii Tiktok, I've spent the past 10 years building my career from the ground up and growing up in front of millions of people. If you're coming to this page because you're waiting for me to talk about some baseless accusations created for 15 mins of fame, you're in the wrong place."
"Blowing out someone's candle will not make yours shine any brighter," she continued, according to The Daily Beast. "I've learned to laugh at the irrelevant BS. To anyone experiencing online bullying, I'm here for you and taking care of your mental health is a priority."
Juda Engelmayer, a crisis communications expert and the president of Herald PR, told Insider that his advice to Bernstein would be to "weather the storm."
Bernstein appears to be doing just that. Since her first video on February 25, she posted behind-the-scenes footage from a swimwear photoshoot, an outfit-of-the-day video, her go-to mirror poses, and a swimwear giveaway.
"Bernstein seems fairly savvy on social media. While the TikTok users have been kind of unfriendly, as long as she slows the pace of her posts, and focuses more on her Instagram and other forms of social media for now without shutting down her TikTok, I think she can and will be fine," Engelmeyer told Insider.
He also said she should "slow it down and not fight the TikTok users head-on."
Insider reached out to Bernstein for further comment but did not immediately hear back.