H3H3’s Ethan Klein and James Charles trade blows over ‘copycat’ merch

H3H3’s Ethan Klein has been going back and forth with James Charles after the makeup YouTuber promoted new merchandise that appeared suspiciously similar to his wife’s.

James Charles is best known for his makeup-based YouTube channel which boasts more than 21 million followers. However, the popular personality has branched out into designing his own products and merchandise for fans as well.

While many of his older creations helped fund his expensive Californian mansion, his latest drop has come under fire. Klein called out Charles on September 17 for his new line of merchandise that appeared oddly familiar. Teddy Fresh CEO Hila Klein has her own ‘colorblocking’ clothing line and her husband claims the new designs from Charles are the “exact same.”

While Charles has since publicly shot down these ‘plagiarist’ allegations, the two have continued to trade blows online.

“I know we didn’t invent colorblocking,” Klein addressed, “but I’m having a hard time with the new James Charles merch.”

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Both new designs feature vibrant colors splashed across the jumper, which change at each connecting point. The sleeves are a different color to the torso, while the hood is a different color to both, for instance. All the colors are pastel.

“Many people will assume he designed it and start accusing us of plagiarism,” he stressed. “It’s possible it’s all a totally cosmic coincidence but he used pretty much the identical colors here too.”

It didn’t take long before Charles issued a response to his fans.

Supposedly, the two had a private conversation about the merchandise a day prior. “I sent you the original photo that inspired my collection, explained I’ve never seen your brand, but also asked what you wanted me to do,” Charles replied. “If you’d like to continue our conversation and find a solution, my DMs are still open.”

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It appears the time for a mutual solution might be long gone, however. “You told me you were going to sell them anyway,” Klein soon followed up. “You also admitted that the similarity wasn’t a coincidence. I dm’d you because I wanted to keep this private but I found your response combative and dismissive.”

That was the final public comment on the matter at the time of writing. Who knows what has been said behind the scenes since then, however. Perhaps the two have come to some kind of agreement despite the initial hostility.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the situation develops between the two internet celebrities.